How will I be able to recognize someone as a bona fide spiritual master?

[krsna]

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer: The derivative meaning of maya is 'what is measurable.' Bhagavan is the Lord of maya; He cannot be measured. Where there is attempt to measure God, there is maya and not God. 'Ma' means 'not' and 'ya' means 'what', i.e., 'what is not God', is maya. The maya as said in the Shrimad Bhagavatam is not like the Satan in the Christian theology, a separate entity from God, altogether another entity. According to the Bhagavata school, maya is in Bhagavan (God) in the condemned state in order to award condign punishment on the atomic sentience (i.e. jivas) controllable by maya. In the Gita God has said: "Earth, water, fire, air, sky, the mind, intelligence and egoism - these constitute My separate inferior potencies, whereas other than this is My superior potency constituting the jivas by which is supported the universe." This inferior potency is the maya potency. This inferior potency has been stupefying the jivas that are apathetic towards God since before the beginning of time and causing misunderstanding in them, sometimes assuming the form of 'twenty-four items of entity' of Kapila (the originator of the Sankhya System), sometimes as the 'atom' of Kanada (of the Vaiseshika System), sometimes also as Jaimini's principle of 'elevation' (in the Purva Mimamsa System), sometimes again as the 'sixteen objects' of Gautama (in the Nyaya system), sometimes as 'superhuman power and absolute oneness with God' of Patanjali (of the Yoga System), and sometimes as the pretence of search after Brahman (of the Shankar School).

 

Question: Why does such an event happen?

 

Answer: Because the jivas have free will of their own.

 

Question: How can this be reconciled with the teaching of the Gita which says: "God stays in the heart of all the creatures and makes them whirl round, in a machine, as it were, by the agency of maya"?

 

Answer: This instruction in the Gita rather supports the above statement. It is Shri Vishnu Who is God, the Controller of all beings. God gives the jivas their fruit according to the karma they perform. Their nature acts under the direction of God according to their previous karma. Jiva is the doer and God is the Giver. God's authority is seen in the giving of the fruits and governance of the cause and effect. So God is the Giver of the fruit and the jivas the enjoyers thereof.

 

Question: Why is there the independence of the jivas?

 

Answer: Jivas are the atomic parts of God, the vibhu-chit (Plenary Sentience). The property of the sea, viz. water, is present in an atomic degree in a drop, too. Vibhu (or Over Lord) God is totally independent; there is independence in anu-chit-jiva (i.e., atomic sentience) too, proportionally.

 

Question: Is the proper use or abuse of the independence of jivas instigated by God ?

 

Answer: If it had been God-instigated, then that would have amounted to the service of God and not caused the jiva's forgetfulness of Him.

 

Question: Then how can the conclusion be arrived at, viz., "everything depends upon God's Will"? I am putting these questions not for the sake of discussion, I am asking them because you are a great scholar and a great devotee at the same time. In the Hindi Gita of Shri Tilaka I read an abhanga (panegyric to God) by Tuka-Rama, the sense of which runs thus: "O God, if my karma brings me liberation then what should I have to do with You?"

 

Answer: The Shrimad Bhagavatam has given a reply to this. "He is an heir to liberation, O God, who, feeling Your Grace in everything and enduring the troubles caused by his own karma, bows down to You with mind, speech and body, i.e. wholeheartedly". He who has acquired fitness for being freed from the world understands that if the blame is laid at the door of God, then on account of the want of the tendency towards doing service to God, liberation is never available. Only a person who is fortunate to have the tendency for the chit-service aroused in him can easily become the possessor of the position of liberation, and he can be more attracted towards God, considering all the troubles and difficulties as His Grace.

 

Question: Then are the sins that we commit due to God's Grace?

 

Answer: No, they are not. The predilection for sins has been given to test us, in the same manner as money, paddy, a copy of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, etc. are placed before an infant at the time of the first-rice ceremony to see what it takes according to its innate tendency. Before the thread ceremony, too, the Acharya tests the tendency of the boy to be initiated. God's cruelty is what the human intellect apprehends when it is apathetic towards God. If one takes it to be a punishment, it is to be understood that such a one is wanting in a serving temper and in attraction for God. God is the shelter for all. He sends many obstacles and inconveniences to those who wish for shelter under Him, in order to test their ardour and steadiness. For example, when the Vaidya prescribes bitter and astringent medicines and distasteful diets, or the doctor opens the abscess with his lancet, if the patient is displeased with them on the ground that they are cruel and not his well-wishers, his decision is wrong as he has taken his real friends to be enemies.

 

"The divine potency, maya, has kept tempting objects as exhibits for alluring me just as the fishing hook or the net, or the rat-trap or the chain is set to delude fish, rats, elephants, etc. The object is that I may thereby get more and more entangled in the worldly meshes. Misled by these deluding traps, sometimes I become a wanton performer of misdeeds, sometimes a philanthropist doing good deeds, sometimes again I consider oneness with non-distinct Brahman as the good for me, feeling a high regard for the doctrine of Buddha, Shankaracharya or Kapila." Maya Devi has placed in order alluring things according to the diverse temperaments of the persons who are deluded by the tenets of karma or jnana due to their having desires for things other than the Truth. Jiva will attain his true well-being when he engages himself in the accounts relating to God; there is no other way thereto. God does not set up obstructions against anyone, and He is not the destroyer of chetana-dharma or sentience in him. It would have been an act of cruelty on His part if He had placed obstacles against this sentience; He is only informing the sentient entities of what is the proper use of their sentience and what are its abuses.

 

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has asked us not to act upon the instruction of the sage Jaimini about worldly elevations, nor upon those of Shri Dattatreya, Shankara, etc., about the culture of non-distinct Brahman, for that is not the proper use of our sentience or independence. Just work for doing service to God, and never do a thing which is not meant for it. He has said all this for the true well-being of jivas who have got material perceptions for generating, rather uncovering, their sentience. No one is engaged in a piece of work being propelled by a desire for distress. The bereaved mother is hitting her chest hard with her hands and hurting her head against a piece of stone only to destroy her grief. A patient is belching out by disturbing his throat with his fingers, only to obtain a speedy relief. The Karmis being desirous of the fruit of their karma are making different performances only to get such speedy remedies. Their inner motive is to secure instantaneous relief. Being duped by matters pleasant for the time being, they are running towards the mirage of maya. According to them, the method for the speedy end of worldly troubles is: "I shall be the overlord of the world, become Indra of the heaven, or enjoy and distribute the various worldly enjoyments. This is only apathy towards God. The culture of non-distinct Brahman is only another phase in our attempts to secure a speedy remedy. The fact is that we want some fees (i.e., the return of some good for our exertions) in some shape or another. We run for enjoyments when we think ourselves dissociated From God. Then we think that it is necessary to make the proper use of our canine teeth, to revel in the functions peculiar to youth, to bring round other people to civic order or social civilization and so forth. Those attempts are only the results of our forgetfulness about God. These predilections are only meant for enjoyment, as God has said : "All acts are performed by the gunas of nature or maya and being misled by egotism the soul thinks himself as the doer."

 

The jivatma is an entity beyond the gunas; he is above the Mayashakti, for he serves God. But the power of maya is far above. The aptitude or inclination of a jiva apathetic towards God is to be bound down by maya, to swallow the bait, and bathed in sweat from head to foot due to hard labour and wasting the invaluable life, to gather fuel for the enjoyment of the wives, sons, daughters, grandsons, great-grandsons, many of whom we shall not have any chance even to see, and leave it behind for their sake. I plant a palm-tree, the fruit of which will be enjoyed by others whom I shall never meet with and who will one day squander away all my hoarded wealth and property. All my efforts are to this end! There is a shloka to the effect : "Krishna, I have obeyed the wrong commands of kama (desires), etc., numberless and of any type, but yet they are not kind to me, nor feel ashamed, and there is no cessation of these. Now I have got true intelligence, and having rejected them I have taken shelter in You with the prayer that I may be employed in Your service."

 

Those who are given to karma admit God indirectly; those of the jnana-marga wish for being one with God; but we do not cherish any such wrong desire. Our hope is to become the carriers of foot-wear for servants of Hari unlike those who adopt jnana. We do not claim to possess learning nor intelligence; we mind only the truth received from the lotus-feet of Shri Gurudeva in the capacity of his servants; we do not lay down any new proposition. We say only what we have got to say in favour of the realisation of that one Truth.

 

 

 

(This is an excerpt from a conversation with a member of the Indian nationalist movement, Syamasundar Chakravarty. This edition is taken from The Guardian of Devotion - the Calcutta edition of 1988. A more complete version of the interview - with different editing - can be found in Sri Chaitanya's Teachings, published by Sri Gaudiya Math.)

 

 

 

[krsna]

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur

 

Spiritual Master of Srila Prabhupada

 

From Back to Godhead Vol.1 Part 9

 

March 1952

 

An offering by

 

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

It is the honest belief of Srila Saraswati Thakur that people in general, modern philosophers and thinkers as also the religionists will be struck with wonder when they seriously make a study of the gift of Lord Chaitanya.

 

Oh! my Master

The evangelic angel.

Give us thy light,

Light up thy candle.

 

Struggle for existence

A Human race,

The only hope

His Divine Grace.

 

Absolute is sentient

Thou hast proved.

Impersonal calamity

Thou hast moved.

 

This gives us a life

Anew and fresh.

Worship thy feet

Your Divine Grace.

 

Had you not come

Who had told,

The message of Krishna

Forceful and bold,

 

That's your right

You have the mace.

Save me a fallen

Your Divine Grace.

 

The line of service

As drawn by you,

Is pleasing and healthy

Like morning dew.

 

The oldest of all

But in new dress

Miracle done

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

 

 

 

<font color="red"> Absolute is sentient

 

Thou hast proved.

 

Impersonal calamity

 

Thou hast moved. </font color>

 

Absolute is sentient Absolute is sentient

 

Absolute is sentient

 

 

 

Absolute is sentient

 

Thou hast proved.

 

Impersonal calamity

 

Thou hast moved.

 

 

 

<font color="blue"> Absolute is sentient

 

Thou hast proved.

 

Impersonal calamity

 

Thou hast moved.

</font color>

 

 

 

 

<font color="orange"> Absolute is sentient

 

Thou hast proved.

 

Impersonal calamity

 

Thou hast moved. </font color>

[krsna]

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

 

 

 

Written in December, 1928, and published in The Harmonist (Sree Sajjanatoshani)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony of diksha or initiation is that by which the spiritual Preceptor admits one to the status of a neophyte on the path of spiritual endeavour. The ceremony tends to confer spiritual enlightenment by abrogating sinfulness. Its actual effect depends on the degree of willing co-operation on the part of the disciple and is, therefore, not the same in all cases. It does not preclude the possibility of reversion on the novice to the non-spiritual state, if he slackens in his effort or misbehaves. Initiation puts a person on the true track and also imparts an initial impulse to go ahead. It cannot, however, keep one going for good unless one chooses to put forth his own voluntary effort. The nature of the initial impulse also varies in accordance with the condition of the recipient. But although the mercy of the good preceptor enables us to have a glimpse of the Absolute and of the path of His attainment, the seed that is thus sown requires very careful tending under the direction of the preceptor, if it is to germinate and grow into the fruit-and-shade-giving tree. Unless our soul of his own accord chooses to serve Krishna after obtaining a working idea of his real nature, he cannot long retain the Spiritual Vision. The soul is never compelled by Krishna to serve Him.

 

 

But initiation is never altogether futile. It changes the outlook of the disciple on life. If he sins after initiation, he may fall into greater depths of degradation than the uninitiated. But although even after initiation temporary set-backs may occur, they do not ordinarily prevent the final deliverance. The faintest glimmering of the real knowledge of the Absolute has sufficient power to change radically and for good the whole of our mental and physical constitution and this glimmering is incapable of being totally extinguished except in extraordinarily unfortunate cases.

 

 

It is undoubtedly practicable for the initiated, if only he is willing, to follow the directions of the preceptor that lead by slow degrees to the Absolute. The good preceptor is verily the savior of fallen souls. It is, however, very rarely that a person with modern culture feels inclined to submit to the guidance of another specially in spiritual matters. But the very person submits readily enough to the direction of a physician for being cured of his bodily ailments. Because these latter cannot be ignored without consequences that are patent to everybody. The evil that results from our neglect of the ailments of the soul is of a nature that paralyses and deludes our understanding and prevents the recognitions of itself. Its gravity is not recognized as it does not apparently stand in the way of our worldly activities with the same directness as the other. The average cultured man is, therefore, at liberty to ask questions without realizing any pressing necessity of submitting to the treatment of spiritual maladies at the hands of a really competent physician.

 

 

The questions that are frequently asked are as these: ‘Why should it be at all necessary to submit to any particular person or to to any particular ceremony for the purpose of realizing the Absolute Who by His nature in unconditioned? Why should Krishna require our formal declaration of submission to Himself? Would it not be more generous and logical to permit us to live a life of freedom in accordance with the principles of our perverted nature which is also His creation. Admitting that it is our duty to serve Krishna, why should we have to be introduced to Him by a third party? Why is it impossible for one to serve Sri Krishna directly?’ It would no doubt be highly convenient and helpful to be instructed by a good preceptor who is well-versed in the Scriptures in understanding the same. But one should never submit to another to an extent that may furnish a rascal with an opportunity of really doing harm. The bad preceptor is a familiar character. It is inexplicable how those gurus who live in open sin contrive nevertheless to retain the unquestioning allegiance of the cultured portion of their disciples.

 

 

Such being the case, can we blame any person who hesitates to submit unconditionally to a preceptor, whether he is good or bad? It is of course necessary to be quite sure of the bonafide of a person before we accept him even tentatively as our spiritual guide. A preceptor should be a person who appears likely to possess those qualities that will enable him it improve our spiritual condition.

 

 

Those and similar thoughts are likely to occur to most persons who have received an English education, when they are asked to accept the help of any particular person as his spiritual preceptor. The literature, science and art of the West, body forth the principle of the liberty of the individual and denounce the mentality that leads one to surrender to however superior a person his right of choosing his own course. They inculcate the necessity and high value of having faith in oneself.

 

 

But the good preceptor claims our sincere and complete allegiance. The good disciple makes a complete surrender of himself at the feet of the preceptor. But the submission of the disciple is neither irrational or blind. It is complete on condition that the preceptor himself continues to be altogether good. The disciple retains the right of renouncing his allegiance to the preceptor the moment he is satisfied that the preceptor is a fallible creature like himself. Nor does a good preceptor accept any one as his disciple unless the latter is prepared to submit to him freely. A good preceptor is in duty bound to renounce a disciple who is not sincerely willing to follow his instructions fully. If a preceptor accepts as his disciple one who refuses to be wholly guided by him, or if a disciple submits to a preceptor who is not wholly good, such preceptor and such disciple are, both of them, doomed to fall from their spiritual state.

 

 

No one is a good preceptor who has not realised the Absolute. One who has realised the Absolute is saved from the necessity of walking on the worldly path. The good preceptor who lives the spiritual life is, therefore, bound to be wholly good. He should be wholly free from any desire for anything of this world whether good or bad. The categories of good and bad do not exist in the Absolute. In the Absolute everything is good. We can have no idea in our present state of this absolute goodness. Submission to the Absolute is not real unless it is also itself absolute. It is on the plane of the Absolute that the disciple is required to submit completely to the good preceptor. On the material plane there can be no such thing as complete submission. The pretence of complete submission to the bad preceptor is responsible for the corruptions that are found in the relationship of the ordinary worldly guru and his equally worldly-minded disciples.

 

 

All honest thinkers will realise the logical propriety of the position set forth above. But most persons will be disposed to believe that a good preceptor in the above sense may not be found in this world. This is really so. Both the good preceptor and his disciple belong to the spiritual realm. But spiritual discipleship is nevertheless capable of being realised by persons who belong to this world. Otherwise there wold be no religion at all in the world. But because the spiritual life happens to be realizable in this world it does not follow that it is the worldly existence which is capable of being improved into the spiritual. As a matter of fact the one is perfectly incompatible with the other. They are categorically different from one another. The good preceptor although he appears to belong to this world is not really of this world. No one who belongs to this world can deliver us from worldliness. The good preceptor is a denizen of the spiritual world who has been enabled by the will of God to appear in this world in order to enable us to realise the spiritual existence.

 

 

The much vaunted individual liberty is a figment of the diseased imagination. We are bound willingly or unwillingly to submit to the laws of God in the material as well as in the spiritual world. The hankering for freedom in defiance of His laws is the cause of all our miseries. The total abjuration of all hankering for such freedom is the condition of admission to the spiritual realm. In this world we desire this freedom but are compelled against our will to submit to the inexorable laws of physical nature. This is the unnatural state. Such unwilling for forced submission does not admit us into the spiritual realm. In this world the moral principle, indeed claims our willing submission. But even morality also is a curtailment of freedom necessitated by the peculiar circumstances of this world. The soul who does not belong to this world is in a state of open or court rebellion against submission to an alien domination. It is by his very constitution capable of submitting willingly only to the Absolute.

 

 

The good preceptor asks the struggling soul to submit not to the laws of this world which will only rivet its chains but to the higher law of the spiritual realm. The pretence of submission to the laws of the spiritual realm without the intention of really carrying them out into practice is often mistaken for genuine submission by reason of the absence of fullness of conviction. In this world the fully convinced state is non-existent. We are, therefore, compelled in all cases to act on make-believes viz. the so-called working hypotheses. The good preceptor tells us to change this method of activity which we have learnt from our experience of this world. He invites us first of all to be really and fully informed of the nature and laws of the other world which happens to be eternally and categorically different from this phenomenal world. If we do not sincerely submit to be instructed in the alphabets of the life eternal but go on perversely asserting however unconsciously our present processes and so-called convictions against the instructions of the preceptor in the period of novitiate we are bound to remain where we are. This also will amount to the practical rejection of all advice because the two worlds have nothing in common though at the same time we naturally fail to understand this believing all the time in accordance with our accustomed methods that we are at any rate partially following the preceptor. But as a matter of fact when we reserve the right of choice we really follow ourselves, because even when we seem to agree to follow the preceptor it is because he appears to be in agreement with ourselves. But as the two worlds have absolutely nothing in common we are only under a delusion when we suppose that we really understand the method or the object of the preceptor or in other words reserve the right of assertion of the apparent self. Faith in the scriptures can alone help us in this otherwise unpracticable endeavour. We believe in the preceptor with the help of the shastras when we understand neither. As soon as we are fully convinced of the necessity of submitting unambiguously to the good preceptor it is then and only then that he is enabled to show us the way into the spiritual world in accordance with the method laid down in the shastras of that purpose which he can apply properly and without perpetrating a fatal blunder in as much as he himself happens to belong to the realm of the spirit.

 

 

The crux of the matter lies not in the external nature of the ceremony of initiation as it appears to us because that is bound to be unintelligible to us being an affair of the other world, but in the conviction of the necessity and the successful choice of a really good preceptor. We can attain to the conviction of the necessity of the help of a good preceptor by the exercise of our unbiased reason in the light of our ordinary experience. When once this conviction has been truly formed Sri Krishna Himself helps us in finding the really good preceptor in two ways. In the first place he instructs us as regards the character and functions of a good preceptor through the revealed Shastras. In the second place He Himself sends to us the good preceptor himself at the moment when we are at all likely to benefit by his instructions. The good preceptor also comes to us when we reject him. In such cases also it is certainly Krishna Who sends him to us for no reason what-so-ever. Krishna has revealed from eternity the tidings of the spiritual realm in the form of transcendental sounds that have been handed down in the records of the spiritual Scriptures all over the world. The spiritual Scriptures help all those who are prepared to exercise this reason for the purpose of finding not the relative but the Absolute Truth to find out the proper instructor in accordance with their directions. The only good preceptor is he who can make us really understand the spiritual scriptures and they enable us realise the necessity and the nature of submission to the processes laid down in them. But there is still every chance of foul play. A very clever man or a magician may pass himself off as a person who can properly explain the Scriptures by means of his greater knowledge or deceptive arts. It is very important, therefore, that we should be on our guard against such tricks. The Scholar as well as the magician pretend to explain the Scriptures only in terms of the object or happenings of this world. But the Scriptures themselves declare that they do not tell us at all of the thing of this world. Those who are liable to be deluded by the arts of pervert yogis who persuade themselves into believing that the spiritual is identical with the perversion, distortion or defiance of the laws of physical nature. The laws of physical nature are not unreal. They govern the relation of all relative existences(.) In our present state it is therefore, always possible for another who possesses the power or the knowledge to demonstrate the merely tentative character of what we choose to regard as our deepest convictions by exposing their insufficiency or inapplicability. But such surprises as they belong to the realm of the phenomenal, have nothing to do with the Absolute. Those who have an unspiritual partiality for scholarship or for magic fall into the clutches of the pseudo-religionists. The serious plight of these victims of their own perversity will be realised from the fact that no one can be delivered from the state of ignorance by the method of compulsion. It is not possible to save the man who refuses on principle to listen to the voice of reason. The empiric pedants are no exception to this rule.

 

 

The plain meaning of the Shastras should, therefore, be our only guide in the search of the good preceptor when we actually feel the need of his guidance. The Scriptures have defined the good preceptor as one who himself leads the spiritual life. It is not any worldly qualifications that make the good preceptor. It is by unreserved submission to such a preceptor that we can be helped to reenter into the realm that is our real home but which unfortunately is veritable terra incognita to almost all of us at present and also impossible of access to one body and mind alike which is the result of the disease of abuse of our faculty of free reason and the consequent accumulation of a killing load of worldly experiences which we have learnt to regard as the very stuff of our existence.

 

[krsna]

The Mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

 

--

 

 

Krishna Consciousness or Prema Dharma is compared to a lotus flower that gradually unfolds in due course of time. At first it is manifest in a budding stage which gradually blooms until it reaches its fully blossomed stage.

 

The realisation of the Supreme Lord Sri Hari, His shadow energy and the process of devotional service (pure love), which are the subjects of the four seed verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam (catur sloki), were only germinating in the hearts of aspirants at the time of Lord Brahma.

 

At the time of Prahlad Maharaj they developed into the form of a bud and at the time of Srila Vyasadeva this bud gradually began to open. Then during the periods of Nimbaka, Vishnuswami, Ramanuja and Madhvacharya this bud began forming into a flower. Through their grace many thousands of followers in India took shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Hari.

 

Finally, when Gaurahari appeared in His 'prakata lila', this flower unfolded its petals and began to diffuse its sweet fragrance to the fortunate living entities.

 

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu distributed this pure love of Krishna through the transcendental chanting of:

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,

Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

which is the real essence of Bhagavat Dharma.

 

When the Lord desired to appear for another reason, the time for promulgating the religion of the age also arose. Thus with two intensions the Lord appeared with the devotees and tasted the nectar of prema with the congregational chanting of the holy name. Thus He spread kirtana even among the untouchables. He wove a wreath of the holy name and prema with which He garlanded the entire material world. In this way, assuming the sentiment of a devotee, He preached devotional service while practicing it Himself.

 

 

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam

sangopangastra-parsadam

yajnaih sankirtana-prayair

yajanti hi su-medhasah

 

"In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions." (S.B.11.5.32).

 

"My dear Lord, You are the Maha-purusa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and I worship Your lotus feet, which are the only eternal object of meditation. Those feet destroy the embarrasing condition of material life and freely award the greatest desire of the soul, the attainment of pure love of Godhead. My dear Lord, Your lotus feet are the shelter of all holy places and of all saintly authorities in the line of devotional service and are honored by powerful demigods like Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. My Lord, You are so kind that You willingly protect all those who simply bow down to You with respect, and thus You mercifully relieve all the distress of Your servants. In conclusion, my Lord, Your lotus feet are actually the suitable boat for crossing over the ocean of birth and death, and therefore even Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva seek shelter at Your lotus feet.

 

O Maha-purusa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the association of the goddess of fortune and all her opulence, which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithfull follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest in obedience to a brahmana's curse. Out of sheer mercifulness You chased after the fallen conditioned souls, who are always in pursuit of the false enjoyment of illusion, and at the same time engaged in searching out Your own desired object, Lord Syamasundara." (S.B.11.5.33-34).

 

"Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya is the initiator of sankirtana [congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord]. One who worships Him through sankirtana is fortunate indeed. Such a person is truly intelligent, whereas others, who have but a poor fund of knowledge, must endure a cycle of repeated birth and death. Of all sacrificial performances, the chanting of the Lord's holy name is the most sublime." (Cc. Adi, 3.77-78).

 

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the sankirtana movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence and words for the sankirtana movement is recognized by the Lord and endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all sacrifices in which man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the sankirtana movement is the most glorious. (purport)

 

"O my merciful Lord Chaitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desert-like tongue. Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud chanting of Krishna's holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river's flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears." (Cc. Adi, 2.2)

 

Despite crying in various conferences of art, culture, politics, sociology, dry philosophy, poetry and so on, the desert-like tongue continues to be parched. For this reason, people from all parts of the world must call for the devotees of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who are compared to swans swimming around the beautiful lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or bees humming around His lotus feet in transcendental pleasure, searching for honey.

 

Lord Chaitanya's movement of Krishna consciousness is full of dancing and singing about the pastimes of Lord Krishna. It is compared to the pure waters of the Ganges, which are full of lotus flowers. The enjoyers of these lotus flowers are the pure devotees, who are like bees and swans. They chant like the flowing of the Ganges, the river of the celestial kingdom. (purport)

 

"I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age - nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstacy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service. I shall accept the role of a devotee, and I shall teach devotional service by practicing it Myself." (Cc. Adi, 3.19-20).

 

No one but the Lord Himself can teach this highest form of devotional service. Therefore, when the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga to spread the glories of chanting Hare Krishna - the system of worship recommended in this age - He also distributed the process of devotional service performed on the platform of transcendental spontaneous love. To teach the highest principles of spiritual life, the Lord Himself appeared as a devotee in the form of Lord Chaitanya. (purport)

 

"In the Upa-puranas we hear Sri Krishna showing His mercy to Vyasadeva by speaking to him as follows.

 

'O learned brahmana, sometimes I accept the renounced order of life to induce the fallen people of the age of Kali to accept devotional service to the Lord.'" (Cc. Adi, 3.82-83)

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Vedic literatures all give evidence to prove that Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of Krishna.

 

"That Govinda personally appears as Chaitanya Gosani. No other Lord is as merciful in delivering the fallen souls." (Cc. Adi, 2.22)

 

 

gaurah sarvatma maha-puruso mahatma maha-yogi

tri-gunatitah sattva-rupo bhaktim loke kasyati

 

"Lord Gaura, who is the all pervading Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears as a great saint and powerful mystic who is above the three modes of nature and is the emblem of transcendental activity. He disseminates the cult of devotion throughout the world." (Chaitanya Upanisad)

 

 

tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram

tam devatanam paramam ca daivatam

patim patinam paramam parastad

vidama devam bhuvanesam idyam

 

"O Supreme Lord, You are the Supreme Mahesvara, the worshipable Deity of all the demigods and the Supreme Lord of all Lords. You are the controller of all controllers, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of everything worshipable." (Svet. Up. 6.7)

 

 

mahan prabhur vai purusah

sattvasyaisa pravartakah

sunirmalam imam praptim

isano jyotir avyayah

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Mahaprabhu, who disseminates transcendental enlightenment. Just to be in touch with Him is to be in contact with the indestructable brahmajyoti." (Svet.Up. 3.12)

 

 

yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam

kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim

"One who sees that golden-colored Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord, the supreme actor, who is the source of the Supreme Brahman, is liberated." (Mundaka Upanisad)

 

 

ya eva bhagavan krsno

radhika-prana-vallabhah

srstyadau sa jagan-natho

gaura asin mahesvari

 

The Supreme Person, Sri Krishna Himself, who is the life of Sri Radharani, and is the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance and annihilation, appears as Gaura, O Mahesvari." (Ananta-samhita).

 

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu empowered His associates and followers with particular missionary activities and responsibilities. Accordingly, they prepared, by personal example and preaching, and through an ocean of Gaudiya Vaishnava literatures, an absolute foundation for the "Gaudiya Temple of Love" (Gaudiya Prema Mandir).

 

Sri Chaitanya empowered Sri Nityananda and Sri Adwaita Acharya to preach the glories of the Holy Name. He empowered Sri Ramananda Raya to expound the Rasa Tattva; Sri Swarupa Damodar Gosai to write elaborately on the esoteric methods of Rasa Tattva along with gradual development of the regulated process. The Lord empowered Srila Rupa Goswami to elaborate on various subjects, specifically on the science of Rasa Tattva and these tasks were indeed accomplished by Sri Krishna Chaitanya through the writings of Srila Rupa Goswami.

 

The Lord empowered Srila Ragunath dasa Goswami to explain engagement in loving devotional service along with the gradual development of spontaneous love, with the different levels of Rasa Tattva, following in the footsteps of Swarupa Damodar Goswami.

 

Sri Chaitanya empowered Srila Sanatana Goswami to write on Vaidhi Bhakti and explain the inconceivable aspects of 'prakata' and 'aprakata' lilas of Sri Krishna in Vraja. The Lord empowered Sri Vakeswar Pandit to explain the process of regulated devotional service. Sri Chaitanya empowered Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya to explain the conclusions of His teachings according to Sambandha, Abhideya and Prayojana. Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Srila Sanatana Goswami blessed and empowered Srila Jiva Goswami to expound the Sambandha, Abhideya and Prayojana and he carried out this mission in his writings, especially through the sad-sandarbhas.

 

Sri Chaitanya empowered Sri Prabhodananda Goswami to explain the supremacy of the sentiment of Vraja-rasa. The Lord empowered Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami to write on many subjects, especially on how to check the imitation taste of conjugal love and negligence in Vaidhi Bhakti.

 

Sri Chaitanya empowered Srila Ragunatha dasa Goswami to preach the supreme significance of the glories of Srimad Bhagavatam. Sri Chaitanya also empowered other great acharyas and their unlimited followers, who were also transcendental poets, to perceive the Rasa Tattva through Gaura-lila and to perceive Rasa Tattva through Krishna kirtan. Accordingly, Sri Vrindaban dasa Thakur, Sri Narottama dasa Thakur, Sri Locan dasa Thakur, Sri Govinda dasa Thakur and many other followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu produced a vast array of literature, epics and songs. In this way each one of these acharyas carried out a particular assignment inducing the flower of love of Godhead to finally blossom, fulfilling the prediction of the Supreme Lord Sri Gaurahari - "All over the world, in every town and village" (Jaiva Dharma).

 

Sri Chaitanya empowered Sri Nityananda and Sri Adwaita Acharya to preach the glories of the Holy Name.

 

Unfortunately, these wonderful teachings of Lord Chaitanya were for some time obscured by apasampradayas and the good reputation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Prema Dharma had been compromised.

 

"Lord Chaitanya, exhibiting His magnanimous pastimes, drove away from South India all the false doctrines of the apasampradayas, or so-called disciplic traditions of pseudodevotees, who had gained great influence by resorting to the atheistic theories of the Buddhists and Jains. Thus He turned all of India toward the devotional service of Lord Krishna, so that due to the extensive preaching of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers there remained no topic of discussion in the world other than devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Tridandipada Prabhodhananda Sarasvati has elaborated on this in his verse stri-putradi-katham jahur visayinah.

 

Sri Narahari Sakara Thakur, in his book Krishna-bhajanamrta, has corrected the improper statements of the gauranga-nagari-vadis, sakhi-bheka-vadis, and others of the eleven pseudodisciplic chains that claim to follow Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. These unauthorized persons present cheating in the guise of religion and advertise their duplicity as katha, or pure worship of the Lord. Just as Krishna brought about a furious quarrel to destroy His own family, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arranged for the world to be flooded by varieties of Mayavada and karma-vada philosophies just after His disappearance. He did this to destroy persons who belonged to the eleven apasampradayas, or unauthorized disciplic traditions, as well as the many other apasampradayas that would appear in the future and presume to call themselves devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or pretend to be descendants in His family line. At the same time, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arranged for His own men to be kept away from the pseudodevotion of these cheaters. The devotees of Lord Gaurasundara, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, can discern the mysteries of His pastimes that manifest in the pastimes of Lord Krishna. The activities of the transcendental body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood in any ordinary mundane way." (S.B. 11.1.24 purport)

 

a) Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and His Vision.

 

Through his prolific writings, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, re-established the real philosophy and practice of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. He preached that the teachings of Lord Chaitanya were the highest form of theism and were not intended for a particular sect, religion or nation, but were for all the people of the world. He prophesied that Lord Chaitanya's teachings would go world-wide. Yearning for this to happen, he prayed for a son to help him pave the way. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is considered by the vaisnavas to be the answer to his prayer.

 

b) 'sri caitanya mano'bhistam' - Rupa Goswami's Line.

 

It was Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur who had the vision of carrying on the mission established by Srila Rupa Goswami, within this material world, to fulfill the desire of Lord Chaitanya.

 

c) The Organisation of the Gaudiya Mission.

 

Through this line Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, by his transcendental chanting of the Holy Names, recreated an all auspicious atmosphere on the planet to welcome the Golden Age. He instructed Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur to "preach the Absolute Truth keeping aside all other works".

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur - the 'Simha-Guru' - and known as a strict 'Rupanuga', with the veiw of spreading the teachings of Lord Chaitanya world-wide, succeeded in turning the vision of the Gaudiyas into an established mission by forming Gaudiya Maths all over India.

 

d) ISKCON - "All Over the World" - Srila Prabhupada is the Empowered Founder-Acharya.

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada being empowered by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakur, fulfilled the purpose of the mission taking it worldwide through his ISKCON Movement. Both in their first meeting in 1922 and in their correspondence in 1936 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati indicated his expectations of Srila Prabhupada.

 

"I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and arguments to the people of the world, who are not conversant with the language of our members. This will do much good to yourself and your audience".

 

In this way the flower of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's movement was protected by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur from the onslaught of the mad elephants of 'apasampradayas'. Srila Gaurakisora das Babaji created an auspicious atmosphere by his great chanting. Blessed by him, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur gave the first glimpse of the blossoming of this flower in India while hankering for and making arrangements through Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada for the whole world to experience the fragrance of the fully blossomed flower; the love for Krishna through the chanting of the Holy Names:

 

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare;

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

 

 

 

2003 IndiaDivine Communications. All rights

 

[krsna]

 

 

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[krsna]

A DIVINE LIFE

 

SRI BARSHABHANAVIDEVI DAYITA DAS

 

 

A LETTER FROM BHAKTIVINODA

 

In the meantime Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was very concerned that pure Vaisnavism was being overshadowed by many other wrong concepts and also by imitators. He felt that among all his sons and disciples, Srila Saraswati Thakura was the most qualified person to preach pure Vaisnavism; he had more enthusiasm, courage, and qualification than anyone else. Therefore, Thakura Mahasaya wrote him a letter:

 

Saraswati!

 

People of this world who are proud of their own aristocratic birth cannot attain real aristocracy. Therefore they attack the pure Vaisnavas, saying, "They have taken birth in low class families because of their sins." Thus they commit offenses. The solution to this problem is to establish the order of Daivi-Varnasrama Dharma--something you have started doing; you should know that to be the real service to the Vaisnavas. Because pure devotional conclusions are not being preached, all kinds of superstitions and bad concepts are being called devotion by such pseudo-sampradayas assahajiya andatibari. Please always crush these anti-devotional concepts by preaching pure devotional conclusions and by setting an example through your personal conduct.

 

Please make great effort so you can start the parikrama [circumambulation] of Sridam Navadwip as soon as possible. It is by those actions that everyone in this world will receive Krsna-bhakti [devotional love for the Lord]. Please try very hard to make sure that the service to Sri Mayapur will become a permanent thing and will become brighter and brighter every day. The real service to Sri Mayapur can be done by acquiring printing presses, distributing devotional books, and preaching congregational chanting (not reclusive bhajan). Please do not neglect to serve Sri Mayapur or to preach for the sake of your own reclusive bhajan.

 

When I am not present any more, please take great care to serve Sri Mayapur Dham which is so dear to you. This is my special instruction to you. People who are like animals can never attain devotion; therefore, never take their suggestions. But don't let them know this, directly or indirectly.

 

I had a special desire to preach the significance of such books asSrimad Bhagavatam, Sat Sandarbha, andVedanta Darsan. You have to accept that responsibility. Sri Mayapur will prosper if you establish an educational institution there. Never make any effort to collect knowledge or money for your own enjoyment. Only to serve the Lord will you collect these things. Never engage in bad association, either for money or for some self-interest.

 

All the Vaisnava devotees who were in contact with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Saraswati Thakura knew that the relationship between them was not mundane, like that between an ordinary father and son. Their relationship with each other was completely transcendental, like that between Guru and disciple, as is evident in this letter.

 

Srila Saraswati Thakura became more enthused now to preach pure Vaisnavism. Apart from delivering hari-kathaand leading congregational chanting, he also started collecting facts about the four Vaisnava sampradayas(branches of disciplic lineage). He started writing and publishing articles about Vaisnava acharyasin Sajjan Tosani.

 

In 1906, one gentleman called Sri Rohini Kumar Ghosh came to visit Srila Saraswati Thakura. He was the nephew of a High Court judge, Sri Chandra Madhav Ghosh of Barishal. Rohini Babu gave up his home life to have a devotional life in Navadwip. He found a guru from the Baul apasampradaya(one of the pseudo-Vaisnava groups) and started residing in his asrama.One afternoon he came to Srila Saraswati Thakura and heard some invaluable devotional instructions from him. Rohini Babu was deeply touched by this discussion, and when he came back to the asramathat night, it was all he could think about. Without taking his meal, he went to bed. That night, he had a dream in which that Baul Guru and his female companion came as tigers to attack him, but Srila Saraswati Thakura came to rescue him from this danger. The next morning when Rohini Babu was awakened by the sunlight streaming through his window, he immediately left that asramaand set off for Mayapur to beg Srila Saraswati Thakura for shelter at his lotus feet. He was the first disciple of Srila Prabhupada (Srila Saraswati Thakura was thus addressed by his disciples).

 

 

BHAJAN KUTIR AT SRI VRAJAPATTAN, 1909

 

In February 1909, Srila Prabhupada built a small bhajana kutirnear the Bhavan, or residence, of Sri Chandrasekharacharya, who was the maternal uncle of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Remembering Mahaprabhu's vraja-lilathat was performed here, he called this Sri Vrajapattan. Srila Prabhupada continued his service at Sri Yogapith (the birthplace of Sriman Mahaprabhu), but stayed at Sri Vrajapattan. At this time his mother, Srimati Bhagavati Devi, was staying at Yogapith and assisting him in his service to Sri Mayapur Dham.

 

While he was staying there by himself, two very young boys came to him and took shelter at his lotus feet. One of them, Asvini Haldar, came from nearby Ballaldighi. Even though he was illiterate when he first came, by the grace and guidance of Srila Prabhupada he became a great scholar of scripture. Later when Srila Prabhupada gave him initiation, he named him "Vaisnavadas" ("servant of the Vaisnavas"). Sripada Vaisnavadas Prabhu served Srila Prabhupada for the rest of his life. He was known as a very expert kirtansinger.

 

The second boy, Sri Panchanan Samaddar, came from the village of Vinodnagar, in Jessore district. His father, Sri Tarinicharan Samaddar, had had the good fortune of associating with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Srila Thakura Mahasaya had visited their village once as well. The little boy Panchanan was very attracted to hari-katha,and at the age of twelve he left home one night during the predawn hours and set forth in search of his devotional destiny. Somehow he came to Navadwip and, as if by some unknown attraction, came to Mayapur and met Srila Prabhupada. Hearing from Srila Prabhupada, he knew his destiny was at the lotus feet of this great personality. So he stayed there with Srila Prabhupada. Later Prabhupada sent him to different schools, including the Sanagar School in Calcutta and the Hindu School in Navadwip. But his main teacher was Srila Prabhupada himself. Later he was known as a great scholar and writer, and talented in many arts. In 1913, Srila Prabhupada gave him initiation and named him "Paramananda Vidyaratna." Throughout his life, he was always by the side of Srila Prabhupada and he served his spiritual master in every capacity. Srila Prabhupada made him one of the trustees of the Gaudiya Math.

 

 

BRAHMINS AND VAISNAVAS, 1911

 

In 1911 the Vaisnava devotees were confronted by a great deal of hostile criticism from the orthodox brahmanasof Bengal, known as the Smarta Samaj. These brahmanas,although bereft of real scriptural knowledge, were very proud of their own birth and social position, and their doctrines of rules and regulations. Because of their elevated social status, it was easy for them to influence the masses, who were ignorant of pure devotional conclusions. Even some Vaisnava devotees supported the brahmanasin order to get some favor from them. At this time Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was ill and bedridden. But he was still very concerned about the situation and wanted someone to confront the brahmana panditasface to face. In accordance with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's desire, and having been so requested by the famous scholar Sri Madhusudan Goswami of Vrndavan, Srila Prabhupada arranged a meeting with the brahmana panditasat the town of Balighai, in Medinipur district. Pandit Sri Visvambharananda Dev Goswami presided over this meeting.

 

Srila Prabhupada read there his famous article, "Brahman and Vaisnava." When he arrived, the assembled scholars were sitting in two different groups: those who believed in the superiority of brahmanasover all other classes of people, and those who believed in the superiority of Vaisnavas, irrespective of birth or social position, over all other classes of people. At first Srila Prabhupada quoted from many scriptures glorifying brahmanas.The joy of the assembled brahmanasknew no bounds, because even they did not know that there was so much glorification of brahmanasin so many different scriptures. But then Srila Prabhupada started his glorification of Vaisnavas, again based on scripture, which far exceeded the glorification of brahmanasin quality and quantity. This time the brahmana panditaswere not so pleased. Unable to respond to the evidence presented by Srila Prabhupada, they started shouting. One or two of them desperately tried to present new arguments, but Srila Prabhupada crushed those also by dint of his scriptural knowledge and irrefutable logic. He personally answered all questions and refuted all arguments by the brahmanas,and thus established the superiority of pure devotees over all classes of people.

 

 

THE GAURA MANTRA, 1911

 

In that same year, at a meeting attended by many devotees and scholars of religion, Srila Prabhupada established the truth that the Gaura Mantra is eternal and should be chanted by all devotees. He based his conclusions on the evidence of many scriptures, such as the Chaitanyopanisadfrom the Atharva Vedaas well as other Upanisadsand Puranas.Thus he crushed the theory that the name Gaura is not an eternal name of the Supreme Lord and that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Unbeknownst to Srila Prabhupada, his Gurudeva Srila Gaurkisor Dasa Babaji was also present in the audience and ecstatic to hear his conclusions.

 

 

KASHIM BAZAR RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE, 1912

 

In March 1912, Srila Prabhupada was invited by the Maharaja of Kasim Bazar, Calcutta, Sri Manindra Chandra Nandi, to deliver hari-kathaat the "Kasim Bazar Sammilani," an annual religious conference. But when Srila Prabhupada arrived there, he saw that the organizers were more interested in their mundane concept of religiosity and in pleasing other people than in promoting the concept of pure devotion. To protest these concepts, which were contradictory to pure devotion, Srila Prabhupada fasted during his entire stay there and accepted prasadam(food that has been offered to the Supreme Lord) only after his return to Sri Mayapura Dhama.

 

 

PILGRIMAGE AND PREACHING, 1912

 

On November 4, 1912, Srila Prabhupada, in the company of a few devotees, set out to visit the holy places where Sriman Mahaprabhu and his associates had their pastimes, such as Srikhanda, Yajigram, Katwa, Jhamatpur, Chakhandi, Daihat, and so forth, and preached about pure devotion there. In Sridham Mayapur and the surrounding areas, and sometimes in other villages of Bengal and in Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada constantly preached and answered spiritual questions.

 

 

THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE ANUBHASYA, 1913-1915

 

In 1913, Srila Prabhupada established a press called Bhagavat Yantralaya at 4 Sanagar Lane, Ka1ighat, Calcutta, and began publishing and printing such books as Sri Chaitanya-charitamrtawith his commentaries called Anubhasya, Srimad Bhagavad-gitawith the commentaries of Sri Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura, the Gaurakrsnodayaby the Oriyan poet Govinda Das, and so forth. In the evenings he would lead sankirtanaand afterwards deliver hari-katha. Many distinguished gentlemen of Calcutta would come to listen to him. In 1914 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura disappeared from this world to enter into the transcendental abode of his eternal pastimes. In January 1915, Srila Prabhupada moved the printing press to Sri Vrajapattan at Mayapura, and continued publishing and printing books from there. He finished his commentaries on Sri Chaitanya-charitamrtaon June 14, 1915.

 

 

EDITING SAJJAN-TOSHANI, 1915

 

After the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his famous and widely distributed Vaisnava magazine, Sajjana Tosani,continued publication under the editorship of Srila Prabhupada. In July 1915 he moved the Bhagavat Yantra press to the town of Krsnanagar, and began publishing Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's books.

 

 

DISAPPEARANCE OF HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER, 1915

 

On November 17, 1915, on the holy day of Utthan Ekadasi, Srila Prabhupada's diksaguru, Srila Gaurkisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, disappeared from this world. Srila Prabhupada immediately set forth for Navadwip from Mayapura. Sripad Kunjavihari Vidyabhbusan (later Srimad Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaja) has described this incident in the biography of Srila Prabhupada, Saraswati Jayasri. A few so-called Babajis of Navadwipa began arguing with each other about who would give samadhito the transcendental body of Srila Gaurkisor Das Babaji. They all had some ulterior motive, namely to own this samadhitemple themselves so they could make money in the future from devotees and pilgrims. Apprehending a breach of the peace, the Inspector of Police, Sri Barindra Nath Singha, arrived there.

 

After much argument these Babajis said that Srila Prabhupada was not a sannyasiand therefore did not have the right to give samadhito Srila Gaurkisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Prabhupada responded in a thunderous voice, "I am the only disciple of Srila Babaji Maharaja. Although I am not a sannyasi,I have observed brahmacharya(celibacy) all my life. By the grace of Srila Babaji Maharaja, I have not lived a secret life of illicit conduct and debauchery, like some 'monkey' renunciates. If there is someone among those present here who has a genuinely pure character and who is a renunciate, then he can give samadhito Srila Babaji Maharaja and we have no objection to that. If there is anyone here who, in the last one year, or six months, or three months, or one month, or even in the last three days, did not have any illicit contact with a woman, then he can touch this blissful transcendental body. If anyone else touches this body, he will be ruined."

 

Hearing this the inspector asked, "What will be the proof of this?" Srila Prabhupada replied, "I will believe their words." Everyone present was amazed to see that all the so-called Babajis left the scene, one by one. The Inspector of Police was dumfounded.

 

Then by the order of Srila Prabhupada, the Vaisnava devotees with him were fortunate enough to carry the transcendental body of Babaji Maharaja. Some people said, "When Srila Babaji Maharaja was alive, he said, 'My body should be dragged on the ground of Navadwip so it can be covered by the dust of Navadwip.' His instruction should be obeyed."

 

Then Srila Prabhupada said, "Even though we are stupid, ignorant, and offensive, we should still be able to understand the significance of these humble words of my Gurudeva, which were spoken to destroy the pride and arrogance of materialistic people. Even Lord Krsna considers Himself fortunate to carry the body of my gurudevaon His shoulders or head. After the disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakura, Sri Gaursundara took his blissful body in his own arms and danced; such was the reverence he showed him. Therefore, following in the footsteps of Sriman Mahaprabhu, we shall also carry Srila Babaji Maharaja's blissful body on our heads."

 

On November 17, 1915, Srila Prabhupada gave samadhito his Gurudeva, on the Nutan Chara of Navadwip, on the banks of the Ganga. Sixteen years later, the moving currents of the Ganga arrived at that holy place. By his instruction, on August 21, 1932, some of his disciples from Sri Chaitanya Math, including Sripada Narahari Prabhu and Sripada Vinoda Vihari Prabhu (later Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja) and others, removed this samadhiby boat across the Ganga from Navadwipa to Sri Chaitanya Math, Mayapura.

 

 

THE DIVINE VISION OF SRILA PRABHUPADA, 1915

 

After the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Gaurkisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada was grief stricken and was feeling the pangs of separation. At that time a wonderful incident took place. Srila Paramananda Vidyaratna has described this in Saraswai Jayasri:

 

Srila Prabhupada was feeling very discouraged in the absence of Srila Thakura Mahasaya and Srila Babaji Maharaja, seeing the helpless condition of the spiritual section in the country and the Propaganda of thesahajiyas (imitators). He was thinking, "How will I fulfill the desire of my spiritual masters? How will I be able to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? I do not have enough money or manpower. Nor do I have any knowledge or talent that would enchant the public. I have no material skill or wealth. How can this grave task be performed by me? I won't be able to preach the message of my spiritual masters.

 

Thinking all this, Srila Prabhupada displayed his pastime of gloom and depression. Then one night he saw in a visionary trance that Lord Gaursundar had arrived from the east side of the Yogapith temple with His associates. Amid the sound ofsankirtana, He was ascending to His birth site. With Him were the sixgoswamis. Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Srila Gaurkisora Dasa Babaji were also present in their effulgent transcendental forms. Addressing Srila Prabhupada directly, they said, "Why are you in such a state of anxiety? Begin your task of establishing pure religion. Everywhere preach the message of Sri Gaura and spread the service of the holy name, abode, and desire of Sri Gaura. We are always ready to help you, being eternally present with you. In your mission of establishing pure devotional service, you will always receive our help. Behind you innumerable people, unlimited wealth, and extraordinary scholarship are waiting to help you. Whatever you need at any time will immediately appear to serve your mission of pure devotion. With full enthusiasm, proceed with your preaching of the message of pure devotion as it was preached by Sriman Mahaprabhu. No material problems can impede you. We are always with you." The next morning Srila Prabhupada told us about this visionary trance with great ecstasy.

 

 

SANNYASA AND FOUNDING SRI CHAITANYA MATH, 1918

 

Even though Srila Prabhupada was already a great renunciate and an eternally liberated (nitya-siddha) spiritual personality, in order to preach extensively as a traveling mendicant (parivrajaka) and to set an example of Daivi-Varnasrama Dharma,he decided to take sannyasain the year 1918. By accepting the saffron cloth, he actually took a humble position below his two gurus, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Gaurkisora Dasa Babaji, who had both accepted the paramahamsa-vesa(the white cloth of a renunciate Vaisnava who has given up varnasrama dharma; sannyasa,which requires wearing a saffron cloth, is part of varnasrama dharma). On the full moon day of March 7, 1918, on the auspicious occasion of the appearance festival of Sriman Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada took sannyasain Sri Mayapur according to Vedic rites. Early in the morning he shaved his head and then went to bathe in the old Ganga, near Vaman Pukura. Sri Ramgopal Vidyabhusan, Sri Ananta Vasudev Prabhu, Srikant Dasadhikari (later Srimad Bhakti Prakag Aranya Maharaja), and a few other devotees accompanied him. On the way Srila Prabhupada spoke on such topics as the story of Ajamila, the sannyasapastime of Sriman Mahaprabhu, and some verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam.After bathing he offered his dandavatsand returned to Vrajapattan. The devotees had collected and arranged all the necessary paraphernalia there. Srila Prabhupada went inside the temple and, remembering his Gurudeva, he took tridandi sannyasa(the word "tridandi" signifies the threefold vows of serving the Supreme Lord with body, mind, and soul).

 

In the meantime all the devotees were waiting outside. Among them were Sripad Paramananda Vidyaratna and Sripad Kunjavihari Vidyabhusan. A big crowd had also assembled to celebrate the appearance festival of Sriman Mahaprabhu. When Srila Prabhupada emerged as a sannyasi,everyone became very sad, and remembered the sannyasapastime of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Overwhelmed with devotional emotion, all started crying.

 

That same day, Srila Prabhupada established Sri Chaitanya Math and installed the Deities of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga and Sri Sri Radha Govinda there. This Sri Chaitanya Math in Mayapur is the Akar Math (the original or parent math) of all the Gaudiya Maths all over the world. In the afternoon he delivered a lecture about the appearance of Sriman Mahaprabhu to the assembled crowd. The next day he initiated some of the surrendered devotees, such as Sripad Haripada Vidyaratna, Sripad Ananta Vasudeva Prabhu, and Sripada Bhakti Prakasa Prabhu.

 

After taking sannyasa,Prabhupada displayed his extraordinary pastimes of renunciation and austerity. This was described in the memoir of Sripada Ananta Vasudeva Prabhu quoted in Saraswati Jayasri:

 

Before takingsannyasa he used to wear a top garment twenty-four hours a day. No one ever saw his upper body. But aftersannyasa he would wear achadar most of the time. He gave up wearing sandals. Walking everywhere without sandals made his feet bleed, but he still would walk without sandals. Seeing his example of great renunciation, we were amazed. Duringchaturmasya (the four months of the rainy season) he would sleep on the floor and would only eat during the day, never after sunset. In the heat of summer in Mayapur he would close his door and chant night and day.

 

Later that month Srila Prabhupada gave a very scholarly lecture called "Vaisnava Darsana" ("The Vaisnava Philosophy") at a literary meeting in the Krsnanagar town hall. In May he took some of his disciples with him to preach in different places. In Daulatpur he stayed in the house of Vanamali Poddar and preached continuously for several days. There he initiated quite a few devotees including Sripada Yasodanandana Prabhu and Sripada Narahari Prabhu.

 

At this time, his disciple Sripada Nayanabhirama Prabhu (later Srimad Bhakti Viveka Bharati Maharaja) earnestly assisted Srila Prabhupada with his preaching activities. Srimad Bharati Maharaja would preach in very simple language and present the Vaisnava concept in a simple, but attractive, way. Srila Prabhupada engaged Srimad Bharati Maharaja to speak to the general public. Srimad Bharati Maharaja would sometimes make them laugh and sometimes make them cry. His preaching captured their hearts and they would come by the thousands to listen to him. He was an expert kirtanasinger. Srila Prabhupada always knew the greatest strength of each of his disciples, and he would engage them accordingly. Before he left this world, he told Srimad Bharati Maharaja that he was a hardworking, practical person, and should serve the mission.

 

 

[krsna]

Pujala Raga-patha Gaurava Bhange

by

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

 

(As revealed by Srila B. R. Sridhara Deva Gosvami))

 

This song was composed by Guru Maharaja himself when we moved from the hired house in Calcutta (Bhaktivinoda Asana).

The Deities were moved to a constructed matha (Bagh Bazaar Gaudiya Matha). The Deities were carried on a chariot and we were dancing and singing just in front of Them. At that time he composed some six lines perhaps.

 

Whatever he did, pujala raga-patha gaurava bhange, his whole life in a nutshell is expressed in this, his own expression. The very nature of the sampradaya is this. The whole tenor of his preaching expedition. Not only for him, but he has extended the banner to all. Come under the banner of such a nature of thought about the divinity, an initiation will be safely secured.

 

"Pujala raga-patha gaurava bhange — That is Bhaktisiddhanta vani — the real existence of Bhaktisiddhanta is there." — Srila Sridhara Maharaja.

 

 

(1)

pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

matala hari-jana visaya range

 

The servants of Lord Hari, who revel in satisfying His transcendental desires, worship the path of spontaneous devotional service in a mood of awe and reverence.

 

(2)

bramala chhadi bhoga cinmaya-bange

dhaula pathi-pathi bhakata-sange

 

Having given up all types of sense-enjoyment, one should wander through the divine land of Gauda-desa, running along all the paths and roads in the association of the devotees.

 

(3)

chhadala para-ghara arcite gange

bujhala rasa-niti nacata dhange

 

Leaving that previous house for ever, to worship on the banks of the River Ganga, one will understand the science of rasa by engaging in sankirtana.

 

(This last verse refers to the moving of the Deities of Sri Sri Gaura Vinodananda from the house at Ultadanga Road to the new temple at Bagh Bazaar, which was situated on the bank of the Ganges.)

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

by Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaja

 

Once Srila (Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura) Prabhupada was viewing the Deities of Sri-Sri Guru Gauranga-Gandharvika-Giridhari at the Sri Caitanya Math, standing on the front porch of the temple. The door of that temple is not very wide and Srila Prabhupada did not have his glasses on. Standing next to him was one of his dear disciples. The disciple thought perhaps Prabhupada could not view the Deities very well through the narrow doorway. He said, "Prabhupad, this doorway is not very wide. So it is not possible to view the Deities very well from inside." Hearing this, Prabhupad smiled, and he said for the benefit of all of us, "We should not think of the Supreme Lord as an object of our vision. Instead we should meditate on the thought of how we can acquire some qualifications so we can become worthy objects of His vision. We should think about whether He wants to see us, and whether He will want to reveal Himself to us.

atah sri-sri krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam-indriyaih

sevonmukhe-hi jihvadau svayam-eva spuratyadah

(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Eastern Wave, 2.109)

 

"The holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Krishna are divine and transcendental. They cannot be experienced by material senses. The Lord manifests Himself spontaneously on the tongue of a devotee who is eager to serve Him." Just as a devotee waits to see the Lord with great patience and eagerness, sometimes the Lord also waits with great patience and eagerness to see His devotee. It is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta how the hidden Deity of Gopal in Vrindavan was waiting for His beloved devotee, Sri Madhavendra Puri.

 

bahu-dina tomara patha kari niriksana

kabe asi madhava ama karibe sevana

(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila 4.39)

 

For many days I have been watching the road for you, and I have been wondering, 'When will Madhavendra Puri come here to serve Me?'" In this way the Supreme Lord, who succombs to His devotee's love, waits to see His devotee with great eagerness.

 

bhaktera dravya prabhu 'kari' kari' khaya

abhaktera dravya prabhu 'ulati' na caya

 

"The Lord will grab food from His devotee, but He will not even glance at anything given by a non-devotee." This is why the eagerness to serve Him in loving devotion has to be present.

 

Srila Prabhupada's loving devotion for the lotus feet of his Gurudev is beyond our comprehension. At one time he told us, "When I used to think that I was a big scholar of mathematics and philosophy, by my good fortune I got darshan of the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev. He ignored everything that was previously appreciated in me by others: my truthfulness, my moral and pious life, and scholarship, knowing them to be of little value. When he ignored whatever was good in me, I realized how good he himself was, he who could ignore so many "good qualities" in me; what inconceivable wealth there was in him. Being ignored by him, I realized that there was no one more fallen than me, more contemptible than me, and that this was my real identity. This great soul did not consider the things which I considered to be highly desirable, such as scholarship and pure moral character, to have any value. Then I realized what was in this great soul was absolutely priceless. I prayed very humbly to the Supreme Lord for His mercy. Later, by the mercy of the Supreme Lord, I realized that without receiving the mercy of this great soul and serving him, nothing good could happen to me.

 

When I realized that and acted accordingly, by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev and by receiving his unlimited causeless mercy, I considered my life fulfilled. I have understood that if the people of the world do not receive the same jolt that I received from my Gurudev, then their consciousness will not awaken.

 

Therefore I am telling everyone, 'I am more stupid than anyone else in the world; please, all of you, do not be stupid like me. Do not live your life within the limitation of a calculating consciousness. Please enter the realm of the unlimited, and you will become very wealthy. I am only asking you to accept that which I have understood, by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord, to be supremely beneficial.'

 

In another place he wrote, "Even after seeing Srila Gaur Kishore Das Babaji, many people, the immature and the clever, the young and the old, the scholarly and the foolish, those lacking devotion and those proud of their devotion, did not have the proper transcendental vision to see him. This is the transcendental power of a pure devotee. Hundreds of people came to him for his instruction, to fulfill their material desires. But that instruction was actually deceiving them. Many people take the garb of sadhus, and many people outwardly act like sadhus, but in reality, not only are they not sadhus, but they are very far from any sadhu. But there is no such impurity in my Lord. By his own example he demonstrated that purity was truth.

 

His genuine affection was incomparable to anything in this world. He had no dislike for his competitors or his enemies. Even to those who received his mercy, he did not demonstrate any external favor. He used to say "In this world there is no one who is the object of my liking or disliking. I consider everyone to be respectable."

 

Another inconceivable thing was that often deceitful, materialistic people whose mood was unfavorable to pure devotion, would surround my Gurudev without understanding his real position. They considered themselves objects of his affection yet kept their attachment to petty things. But he did not outwardly make any effort to get rid of them, nor did he accept them in any way.

 

On the 29th of October, 1934, Srila Prabhupad discovered the place of pilgrimage where Srila Rupa Goswami saw Sri Gopal in the village of Sati-gara in Mathura. I remember in 1935, starting from the 8th of October, Srila Prabhupad observed Sri Damodar-vrata on the bank of his beloved Sri Radha Kunda. Every day he gave lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Upanishads, and other holy scriptures. Every day he would circumambulate Sri Radha Kunda and would hear or talk about the eight daily pastimes (asta-kaliya-lila ). At this time, to properly serve Sri Vraja-mandal, he started regular meetings preaching the glories of Sri Vraja-Dham (Sri Vraja-Dham Pracarini Sabha ).

 

How much he loved talking about Krishna is inconceivable. He would talk about Him for hours on end, and if anyone asked or even gestured for Srila Prabhupad's prasad to be brought in, he would be displeased. There were times when his disciples requested him not to talk very much, being so instructed by experienced doctors. If anyone would ask him how he was, Srila Prabhupad would answer, "I am fine. My only disease is that I am not allowed to talk about Krishna."

 

He use to say, "To wake up one sleeping soul, to make one conditioned soul aware of his real identity, one should be willing to give gallons of blood."

 

Srila Prabhupad was extremely affectionate to his disciples, and if he found out any one of them was bewildered by Maya he would shed tears. In confronting those who had a demoniac mentality, he was deadly like a thunderbolt. Yet in his loving relationships his heart was softer than a flower. In any of his Maths, if any of his servants had to face a difficulty due to lack of money, Srila Prabhupad used to take great care to send that money as soon as he heard about it. He could not bear the thought that a devotee had to undergo hardships due to lack of money. He used to become very concerned if he heard of any devotee being ill. His affection could not be compared with that of millions of fathers and mothers.

 

If we were ever sad and miserable, as soon as we sat near him, all sadness went away due to the shower of his unlimited affection. Even his chastisement seemed very sweet.

 

"Srila Prabhupad has chastised me," we would say with great pride, and considered ourselves to be very fortunate. All difficulties in our service were made worthwhile a million times over when we could see the signs of pleasure on his affectionate lotus face. What we felt can be expressed by this verse of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura in his book Sarangati:

 

tomarasevaya duhkha haya yata, seo ta' param sukha

seva-sukha-duhka parama sampada, nasaye avidya-duhkha

 

The suffering that comes from Your service is also our supreme happiness. Both the suffering and the happiness that come from Your service are our greatest treasure, and they destroy the miseries that come from ignorance.

 

If we could not properly perform some service which had been ordered by Srila Gurudev, it would cause us great sadness. Our service to Srila Gurudev seemed to consist of everything: devotion, worship, meditation, realization, austerity, and sacrifice. He was most dear to Krishna. Therefore, if we could somehow bring him some satisfaction, we considered that the highest fulfillment of our devotional practice.

 

If Srila Prabhupad went away from us for a few days, our hearts would ache in separation. We would think day and night, "When will he come back again?"

 

Alas! How many years have passed since he left this planet! How am I spending my days in this long separation from him? Why is my soul still living here? For the sake of what kind of happiness? Perhaps due to my offenses to the holy name and at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupad, my heart has become hard like a thunderbolt and it does not feel any pain anymore. If I really loved him, how could I live this worthless life here? 0 merciful lord, please protect this fallen servant of yours. Even though I'm so fallen, so sinful, and so deviated from the path of devotional service, please pick me up and put me at the shelter of your lotus feet.

 

 

 

Once you did give me shelter at your lotus feet, considering me the servant of the servant of your servants. We also got the assurance that if necessary, you would come here again and again to rescue the fallen souls, like myself. 0 merciful Gurudev, your heart is so full of affection! Please forgive all the offenses I have committed at your lotus feet, knowingly or unknowingly. The day before you left us, I clasped your lotus feet on my chest, and you looked at me with eyes full of affection. Please remember that. I am stupid, ignorant, bereft of scriptural knowledge; I do not know what is good or bad for me. Please correct me and make me worthy of your service. Please make me understand what my faults are and what my offenses are, so I will have the privilege of serving you. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to Murari Gupta,

 

sei bhakta dhanya, ye na chare prabhura carana

sei prabhu dhanya, ye na chare nija-jana

durdaive sevaka yadi yaya anya sthane

sei thakura dhanya tare cule dhari ane

(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 4.46-47)

 

Glorious is that devotee who does not give up the shelter of his Lord, and glorious is that Lord who does not abandon his servant. If by chance, a servant falls down and goes somewhere else, glorious is that master who captures him and brings him back by the hair.

 

You gave me the Tulsi beads so I could offenselessly take the holy name. But alas, I am still indifferent to that. My worshipable Godbrothers, who are all my wellwishers, have set such examples for me by their own actions, but I was not inspired by that. I do not have the desire to take the holy name, what to speak of having love for the holy name. Have I been deprived of the mercy of the holy name due to my offenses at your lotus feet and the lotus feet of the Vaisnavas? 0 merciful Prabhupada, please give me love for the holy name. Please inspire me. Let those lotus feet of yours, which I had the good fortune to hold to my chest and which are more cooling than millions of moons, be installed and be worshipped in my heart for all eternity. This is my only prayer to you.

 

 

[krsna]

From the Great Favor, a Harmonist article, by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

 

"A chanter of the Kirtan of Hari is necessarily the uncompromising enemy of wordliness and hypocrisy. As chanter of the Kirtan of Hari, it is the constant function to dispell all misconceptions by the preaching of the truth in the most unambiguous form without any respect of person, place or time. That form is to be adopted which is least likely to be misunderstood. It is his bounden duty to oppose clearly and frankly any person who tries to deceive and harm himself and other people by misrepresenting the Truth due to malice or bonafide misunderstanding.

 

This will be possible if the chanter of Kirtan is always prepared to submit to be trodden by thoughtless people if any discomfort to himself will enable him to do good to his persecutors by chanting the Truth in the most unambiguous manner. If he is unwilling or afraid of considerations of self-respect or personal discomfort to chant the Kirtan under all circumstances he is unfit to be a preacher of the Absolute Truth. Humility implies perfect submission to the Truth and no sympathy for untruth. A person who entertains any partiality for untruth is unfit to chant the kirtan of Hari. Any clinging to untruth is opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute submission to the truth.

 

Those who serve the Truth at all time, by means of all their faculties, and have no hankering for the trivialities of this world, are always necessarily free from malice born of competing worldliness and are, therefore, fit to admonish those who are actively engaged in harming themselves and others by the method of opposing or misrepresenting the Truth in order to attain rewards of such policy in the shape of a perpetuation of the state of misery and ignorance. The method which is employed by the servant of the good preceptor for preventing such misrepresentation of the truth is a part and parcel of the truth itself.

 

It may not always be pleasing to the diseased susceptibilities of deluded minds and may even be denounced by them as a malicious act with which they are only too familiar, but the words of truth from the lips of a loyal and humble servant of Hari possess such beneficent power that all effort to suppress or obstruct them only serves to vindicate to impartial minds the necessity of complete submission to the Absolute Truth as the only cure of the disease of wordliness. Humility that is employed in the unambiguous service of the Truth is necessarily and qualitatively different from its perverted prototype which is practised by the cunning people of this world for gaining their worldly ends. The professors of pseudo-humility have reason to be afraid of the preachings of the servants of Hari -- one of whose duties is to expose the enormous possibility of mischief that is possessed by the forms of so-called spiritual conduct -- when they are taken to task for serving the untruth.

 

Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes:

 

Patrikara Uddesya, Sajjana Tosani:

 

"In the name of bhakti in many places people are engaged in illicit or anti-bhakti activities in the name of practicing bhakti. If one does not expose those issues (cases) very clearly, then pure-bhakti will never be victorious or be established."

 

Bheka-dharana, Sajjana Tosani.

 

"One should compulsorily engage in endeavouring to trying to uplift the Vaisnava-dharma from the mud of contamination and trying to free it from all kinds of dauratmya (wrong ideas and practices)."

 

Vaisnava-ninda, Sajjana Tosani 5/5:

 

samuddesya sahita je paradosera alocana, taha sastre nindita haya nai.

 

samuddesya-tina prakara; ye vyaktira papa laiya alocana kara jaya, tahate yadi tahara kalyana uddista haya, tabe sei alocana subha.

 

jagatera mangala-sadhanera janya yadi papira papa alocana kara jaya, tabe taha subha karyera madhye ganita.

 

"The deliberation (alocana) on the faults of others with the right motive (samuddesya) is not considered as criticism as per the scriptures. The right motive is any of these three kinds: If the deliberation is done on someone's sinful or faulty activities with the motive of benefitting the person concerned then that kind of deliberation is auspicious. If deliberation on other's faults is done to benefit or protect the interests of human society in general, then that kind of deliberation is counted amongst auspicious activities done for the benefit of everyone."

 

sisya gurudevake vaisnava nirdesa karite prarthana karile gurudeva sisyera u jagatera mangala-kamanara asadacaridigake avaisnava baliya sadhu-vaisnavera nirdesa kariya thakena. sadhu vaisnavera . asraya karibara abhipraye asat dharmadhvaji lokake parityaga karate sadhu-ninda va vaisnavaparadha haya na.

 

"When the disciple prayerfully inquires from the spiritual master about the identity of true Vaisnavas, the guru may point out persons who are dressed as Vaisnavas but are not following the Vaisnava principles (sadacara), and name them as 'avaisnavas'. This action on the part of the guru is for the benefit of the disciple (because if the disciple unknowingly associates with these pretenders then his spiritual life is ruined) and for the benefit of the whole world (when the pretenders are identified, the sanctity of the pure Vaisnava-dharma is protected in the world). The bonafide guru does not do so because of envy or malice towards any individual but he acts for the benefit of everyone. Thus it is not 'sadhu-ninda' (criticism of devotees) or 'vaisnava-aparadha' (offense to the devotees) to instruct others to reject the association of those pretenders (dharmadhvajis) who have taken shelter of the exalted position of Vaisnavas but are engaged in performing activities against the Vedic scriptures."

 

Shrila Prabhupada states Cc Madhya 1.220:

 

"A jealous person in the dress of a Vaisnava is not at all happy to see the success of another Vaisnava in receiving the Lord's mercy.

 

Unfortunately, in this Age of Kali there are many mundane persons in the dress of Vaisnavas, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has described them as disciples of Kali.

 

He says, kali-cela. He indicates that there is another Vaisnava, a pseudo Vaisnava with tilaka on his nose and kanthi beads around his neck. Such a pseudo Vaisnava associates with money and women and is jealous of successful Vaisnavas. Although passing for a Vaisnava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaisnava. Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore says that such a pseudo Vaisnava is not a Vaisnava at all but a disciple of Kali-yuga.

 

A disciple of Kali cannot become an acarya by the decision of some high court. Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self-effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgment. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a high-court decision, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga."

 

Cc Madhya 1.218:

 

"The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him, and if the disciple executes the order of the spiritual master and does not offend other Vaisnavas, his path is clear. Consequently Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested all the Vaisnavas present to show mercy toward the two brothers, Rupa and Sanatana, who had just been initiated by the Lord. When a Vaisnava sees that another Vaisnava is a recipient of the Lord's mercy, he becomes very happy. Vaisnavas are not envious. If a Vaisnava, by the mercy of the Lord, is empowered by Him to distribute the Lord's holy name all over the world, other Vaisnavas become very joyful-that is, if they are truly Vaisnavas. One who is envious of the success of a Vaisnava is certainly not a Vaisnava himself but is an ordinary, mundane man. Envy and jealousy are manifested by mundane people, not by Vaisnavas. Why should a Vaisnava be envious of another Vaisnava who is successful in spreading the holy name of the Lord? An actual Vaisnava is very pleased to accept another Vaisnava who is bestowing the Lord's mercy. A mundane person in the dress of a Vaisnava should not be respected but rejected. This is enjoined in the sastra (upeksa). The word upeksa means neglect. One should neglect an envious person. A preacher's duty is to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, make friendships with Vaisnavas, show mercy to the innocent and reject or neglect those who are envious or jealous. There are many jealous people in the dress of Vaisnavas in this Krsna consciousness movement, and they should be completely neglected. There is no need to serve a jealous person who is in the dress of a Vaisnava. When Narottama dasa Thakura says chadiya vaisnava seva nistara peyeche keba, he is indicating an actual Vaisnava, not an envious or jealous person in the dress of a Vaisnava."

 

[Guest guest]

 

 

In 1935, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wrote the following poem as

 

a Vyasa-Puja offering to his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Adore, adore ye all

 

The happy day

 

Blessed than heaven,

 

Sweeter than May.

 

When he appeared at Puri

 

The holy place,

 

My Lord and Master

 

His Divine Grace.

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

Oh! my Master

 

The evangelic angel.

 

Give us Thy light,

 

Light up Thy candle.

 

Struggle for existence

 

A human race.

 

The only hope

 

His Divine Grace.

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

Misled we are

 

All going astray,

 

Save us Lord

 

Our fervent pray.

 

Wonder thy ways

 

To turn our face

 

Adore Thy feet

 

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

Forgotten Krsna

 

We fallen souls,

 

Paying most heavy

 

The illusion's toll.

 

Darkness around

 

All untrace.

 

The only hope

 

His Divine Grace.

 

 

5

 

 

Message of service

 

Thou hast brought,

 

A healthful life

 

As Caitanya wrought.

 

Unknown to all

 

It's full of brace.

 

That's your gift

 

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

Absolute is sentient

 

Thou hast proved

 

Impersonal calamity

 

Thou hast moved.

 

This gives us a life

 

Anew and fresh.

 

Worship Thy feet

 

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

Had you not come

 

Who had told

 

The message of Krsna

 

Forceful and bold.

 

That's your right

 

You have the mace

 

Save me a fallen

 

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

The line of service

 

As drawn by you

 

Is pleasing and healthy

 

Like morning dew.

 

The oldest of all

 

But in new dress

 

Miracle done

 

Your Divine Grace.

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna. Where is this from (found on the beginning page of this thread)? Thank you.

 

"For the genuine devotee of a spiritual master, the genuine disciple, the spiritual master is his entire life, his ideal. His vow is to serve the spiritual master, and though he adores both Krishna and the spiritual master equally, he gives special preference to his spiritual master. A genuine disciple is not weak, but is empowered by the power of the guru's mercy. The spiritual master's blessings and the spiritual master's service are his hope and his strength.

 

A genuine disciple does not disobey the order of the spiritual master even at the risk of his life. Whatever responsibilities the spiritual master mercifully gives him, he does with all his heart. Thus he receives the guru's full blessings."

[krsna]

 

 

By Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Swami

 

 

 

 

Srila Gaur Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj was the crown jewel of the paramahamsa Vaishnavas. After giving initiation to his disciple, nitya-lila-pravia parivrajakacarya-varya, Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur, the founder-acharya of the worldwide Sri Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Saraswata Sampradaya, he gave him two significant instructions that strike me as quite astonishing. The first of these was to never make disciples, the second was to never live in the land of Maya.

 

It is said that one should carry out the orders of the spiritual master without question (j gur hy avicray). We believe that our parama-guru-pada-padma (grand spiritual master) Srila Prabhupada respectfully took these orders into his heart and carried them out. Even so, to a person of lesser intelligence like myself, it might appear that when Srila Prabhupada began building maths and mandirs all over India and taking thousands of disciples, he disobeyed his spiritual master's order. Thus, the doubt arises, is it possible that Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of the Sri Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya-Saraswata-Sampradaya, and those who accepted the shelter of his lotus-feet were all unable to carry out the wishes of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj?

 

By my Guru Maharaj's divine grace, I quickly found the answer to this question in my heart, and it was an emphatic No! The understanding I received was that all these spiritual guides were able to do the needful in order to carry out Srila Babaji Maharaj's instructions.

 

Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj used to call Kolkata (formerly written as Calcutta) klra brahma, or the goddess Kali's universe. In other words, he considered it to be Maya's capital city and an evil, polluted place, unconducive to spiritual life.

 

On one occasion, Babaji Maharaj came to Svananda Sukhada Kunj, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's home in Godrumdwip, while Srila Prabhupada was also visiting there. At the time, Babaji Maharaj was exhibiting his pastime of being physically unwell. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur suggested to him that he go to Kolkata for medical treatment, saying, Bimala Prasad [srila Prabhupada] is staying in Kolkata these days for his studies. If you go there, he will have an opportunity to serve his Gurudeva.

 

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur Srila Gaur Kishor Das

Babaji Maharaj Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati Goswami Thakur

 

 

As soon as Srila Babaji Maharaj heard this suggestion, he immediately said, I will never accept service from Prabhu (Srila Prabhupada). I would rather die by drowning myself. If I drown in the Ganges, I will probably have to become a ghost, so I will jump into the Saraswati instead. Having said this, he began to run towards the Saraswati or Jalangi River, which flows in front of Svananda Sukhada Kunj.

 

Srila Prabhupada ran behind his spiritual master, earnestly imploring him to stop, but he did not. Instead he jumped into the river and disappeared. For forty-five days, there was no trace of Babaji Maharaj. Then one day, suddenly he appeared out of nowhere and said, ‘One cannot get Krishna by committing suicide or leaving this material body; but I cannot tolerate anyone serving me.’

 

Here we see Babaji Maharaj's noble example, he personally wished neither to go to live in Kolkata, nor even to accept the service of his one dear disciple, Saraswati Thakur. In contrast to this, what are we doing nowadays in our temples? Exactly the opposite. We are obsessed with becoming guru and receiving worship and personal services from our disciples. We have begun criticising, fighting and quarreling with each other, polluting the whole environment. Under such circumstances, O Prabhupada, it is my earnest prayer at your holy lotus feet that you please protect us from such sickening, evil influences and bestow your special grace on us that we, the devotees of Sri Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava Sangha, may be able to stay sincerely engaged in your eternal pure service, united together under your divine shelter, thereby carrying out your last instruction and fulfilling your final desire.

 

Some time after the above incident, Srila Prabhupada began his preaching mission and established the Bhaktivinoda Asan in Kolkata. Yet, though Srila Babaji Maharaj had called Kolkata the capital of Kali [Maya], Srila Prabhupada announced with all clarity, ‘I am not living in the world of Kali or Maya.’ Though he took many disciples, he also often said, ‘I have not made anyone my disciple.’ Through these examples, Srila Prabhupada educated us in Saranagati, or devotional surrender.

 

The demon Hiranyakashipu used every means possible to kill his son Prahlad Maharaj because he was a pure devotee of Vishnu. Even so, due to Prahlad's pure surrender or dedication to the Supreme Lord, all of Hiranyakashipu's military might was unable to touch even the tips of his toenails. We know that Prahlad Maharaj always meditated on the Lord, as a result of which the Supreme Lord gave him all protection. Similarly, because of their bonafide dedication to the lotus feet of the Guru, the Vaishnavas and Bhagavan, Srila Prabhupada and the disciples who accepted his divine shelter were fully protected from the influence of Kali, so much so that Kali was unable to touch even the tips of their toenails.

 

 

Srila Bhakti Promode

Puri Goswami Maharaj

 

Seeing so many temples and disciples in Kolkata, men of materialistic vision like me may think that nobody is actually following Srila Babaji Maharaj's two extraordinary injunctions. I personally witnessed, however, the beautiful way in which my own Guru Maharaj, nitya-lila-pravia Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj, carried them out. Srila Guru Maharaj was so imbued with natural Vaishnava humility that whenever we paid obeisances to him, he would feel so shy and uneasy that he would immediately transfer this honor to Srila Prabhupada with folded palms. He was the embodiment of dedication to Srila Prabhupad, teaching us by his example how we are to render devotional service. Thus, even while staying in Kolkata, my Guru Maharaj remained fully dedicated to his spiritual master and never showed any interest in the temptations of the city. Srila Prabhupada was his life and soul, just as Srila Gaur Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj was Prabhupada's life and soul.

 

Srila Prabhupada was fully dedicated to his gurudeva, Srila Gaur Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, and he engaged everyone in his guru's devotional service. Thus, by his power of devotion to Sri Guru, despite staying in apparent touch with the material elements, he was actually far away and fully detached from them. At the same time, by utilizing them in the service of Lord, he blessed those same temporary material elements with the highest benediction. Therefore, in spite of staying in Kolkata, Srila Prabhupada never felt that he was there for the sake of material enjoyment or achievement. Rather, being guru-devatm, totally devoted to Sri Guru, he always remained in the company of Sri Guru and the Vaishnavas and blessed the residents of Kolkata with Hari bhakti, guiding them towards the eternal divine goal of life.

 

Being merciful to one and all, he taught everyone about pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord and never thought for a moment that those who were dedicating themselves to Lord's service under his direction were his disciples. Rather, he would say of those great souls, ‘They are my true friends who have come to save me from danger. Therefore, they are all my gurus.’ This is something that can only be realized when we reach the level of a topmost or uttama-adhikari Vaishnava. One cannot be guru-devatm, or non-different from the Guru, unless he becomes genuinely dedicated to Sri Guru and Vaishnavas &#9472; and unless one is guru-devatm, he cannot practice pure devotion to Lord. Again, without practicing pure devotion, one cannot render genuine service to Lord; and furthermore, without such service, one can never become Lord's eternal servitor. This is what Srila Prabhupada, who is Nayanamani Manjari in Vraja-lila, taught at every step of his life and precepts.

 

O Srila Prabhupada! Today, on the 129th festival marking the day of your advent, it is this fallen servitor's humble prayer at your lotus feet that under today's adverse circumstances, by educating us in your exalted spiritual ideals, kindly protect us from the clutches of those that are spoiling your teachings by misrepresenting and compromising your pure message in the name of preaching according to time, place and situation. Your precept is: We have not come to this world to be bricklayers or carpenters; we have simply come to be Lord Chaitanya's menial servants. With this remark, you actually pointed your finger towards the future generation's - our generation's - making a great show of external grandeur in big temples, natya mandirs, and guest houses, all of which are being built by spending the huge amounts of money collected from people by cheating in the name of service of Supreme Lord and His devotees. As a result, more or less all the temple organizations are gradually being converted into mundane hotels where there is plenty of arrangement for individual and collective sense-gratification under the pretext of practicing pure devotion.

 

Instead of following your gracious guidance and doing devoted atmavat sev of the temple deities, the kind of service going on in almost every temple is nothing more than the service of Maya for individual or collective sense-gratification. Thus, the evil influence of Kali slowly deviates us from the shelter of your transcendental principles and, in the name of propagation suitable to people of the modern age, is simply turning us into the bricklayers or carpenters you warned us not to become.

 

Again this humble servant of yourself prays to your Divine Grace in this auspicious occasion - O most magnanimous Prabhu, mercifully protect us from destructive jaws of Kali and engage us in the eternal service of eternal Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda of transcendental Goloka Vrindavan, the ultimate goal of human life.

 

A few persons in the spiritual world may dislike my above realizations of Srila Prabhupada's philosophy, but it is my humble request to the readers not to be displeased with me, but to please try to understand the spirit of my message. Basing yourselves in truth and reality, please keep me tied with the rope of your mercy and help me always to practice pure devotion to the divine Lord Krishna.

 

Srila Prabhupada-dasanudas,

B.B. Bodhayan

Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math.

 

[som]

Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

 

ISKCON Fouder Achaarya Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ki Jai!

[krsna]

BHAKTISIDDHANTA

SARASVATI

 

UPAKHYANE UPADESA

 

Instructive Stories

 

 

A Lesson on Geometry

 

There was once a poor widow who, through great hardship, was struggling to bring up her only son. As she realised that he was her only hope for the future, she appointed a tutor for him although she would sometimes have to borrow the money to pay for the tuition fees.

 

Once, after being promoted to class VII, the boy was being taught Geometry by the teacher in English. As soon as the boy read out loud, Let ABC be a triangle, the boy's mother rushed into the classroom and screamed at the teacher thus :

 

This boy is supposed to be advancing in his studies after being raised to class VII, but you are still teaching him ABC - he learned all this when he was an infant - and to think I am paying you 10 rupees a month! From today you are no longer required here. You are only fit for teaching a primary school if all you can teach is ABC!

 

The widow's outburst was so violent that it left no scope for the teacher to argue and he was compelled to leave the place.

 

PURPORT

 

The arguments put forward by persons desiring other than Krsna consciousness, along with the karmis, jnanis, yogis, ascetics and the like, including so-called religious communities, are similar to those expressed by the widow.

 

They say, We have become totally worthless through serving all the time in this world. This sort of slave-like mentality is the root cause of all troubles.

 

If we were to accept servitude even after entering into the domain of religion, and to serve Godhead in complete servitude even after liberation, then how will we advance?

 

Only when we are ignorant, and conditioned under illusion, then our slave mentality is intensified. But upon liberation, the realisation aham brahmasi that I am Brahman should be developed.

 

Upon listening to such an argument, pure devotees will argue that devotion or service to Godhead is the eternal position of all conscious living entities. Such devotion, when cultivated through different stages of performing devotional service (sadhana bhakti), ecstatic devotion (bhava bhakti), and loving devotion (prema bhakti) , confirms verily the eternal utility of devotion itself.

 

Servitude to Lord Krsna while performing devotional activities is known as sadhana bhakti (performing devotion), whereas intimate servitude or service to Sri Krsna, after liberated realisation, is prema bhakti (loving devotion). Service to Godhead in the liberated stage is irresistible service (apratihata seva).

 

A,B,C,D or ka-kha-ga-gha may be practised while learning the alphabet on the elementary level; then again even after becoming the topmost man of letters, one has to cultivate the variegatedness and artistic delicacy of that very alphabet.

 

Those who are impersonalists, speculate just like the widow as narrated in this story, advocating that A,B,C,D should only be practised by children in the elementary level and that these letters are of no use to any learned person.

 

It is not that servitude to Sri Krsna should be offered only during devotional performance, but it must be renewed even upon attaining perfection through liberation as service to Lord Krsna is our eternal profession. Servitude or service offered to Lord Krsna is our eternal profession. Servitude or service offered to Lord Krsna after attaining the stage of liberation is to be considered as real and the most perfect form of service. Servitude to illusion (Maya) and servitude to Lord Sri Krsna should never be considered equal.

 

[krsna]

 

 

 

Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur

 

Here are the words spoken by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself: “It is necessary to be humbler than a blade of grass if one is really anxious to take the name of Godhead.”

 

One never supplicates [prays to] another unless one realizes his own littleness. When we pray for the help of other persons we consider ourselves helpless. Sri Gaurasundar has told us to call upon the name of Godhead, which means that he has told us to accept the help of Godhead. He has also told us to be humbler than a blade of grass when we call upon the name of Godhead. If we call upon Godhead for converting him into our servant or if we want to take his help for doing any work on our own account we cannot preserve the quality of humility greater than that of the blade of grass. External exhibition of humility is not that quality of lowliness which makes one humbler than the blade of grass. Mere show of humility is nothing but insincerity or hypocrisy. That manner of calling that is responded to by one’s subordinate does not reach Godhead, because he is the supreme independent, perfect, self-consciouse ntity who is subject to none. It is necessary to fully establish oneself in the state of guileless humility. If this is not done one’s prayer does not reach the perfect autocrat. Prayer to Godhead is impossible if one is absorbed with the attempt to merely destroy one’s self-conceit.

 

There is another condition. While it is necessary to call upon Godhead by being humbler than a blade of grass, it is also necessary at the same time to be possessed of the quality of patience. If we are not patient we cannot call upon Godhead in the manner that will reach him. We become impatient whenever we covet anything. Covetousness is the opposite of humility. We must fully believe in Godhead. We must believe in his plenitude. We can have no wants if we call upon him. If we have this perfect faith we cannot be lacking in patience. On the other hand, if we are covetous, if we are betrayed into inconstancy [fickleness] by our impatience, if we secretly cherish any plan of gaining our object by means of any ability or merit of our own, then we are no longer in the condition to call upon Godhead.

 

 

— Page 259-260. Sri Chaitanya’s Teachings. Edited by BhaktiVilas Tirtha Goswami. Sree Gaudiya Math. Madras. 1989.

[krsna]

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

 

 

Listening to or chanting of it is always and necessarily ben-eficial, being the natural function of the soul. Any other view of its nature will stand in the way of that perfect humility, the outcome of absolute submission which is the indispens-able condition of its realization.

 

A chanter of the kirtana of Hari is necessar-ily the uncompromising enemy of worldliness and hypocrisy. As a chanter of the kirtana of Hari, it is his constant function to dispel all misconceptions by the preaching of the truth in a most unambiguous form, without any influence of person, place or time.

 

That form has to be adopted which is least likely to be misunderstood. It is his bounden duty to oppose any person who tries to deceive and harm himself or other people by misrepresenting the truth either due to malice or genuine misunderstanding.

 

This will be possible if the chanter of kirtana is always prepared to submit to be trodden on by thoughtless people if any discomfort to himself will enable him to do good to his persecutors by chanting the truth in the most unambiguous manner. If he is unwilling to chant the kirtana under all circumstances due to consideration of self-respect or personal discomfort, then he is unfit to be a preacher of the absolute truth.

 

Humility implies perfect submission to the truth and no sympathy for untruth. A person who entertains any partiality for untruth is unfit to chant the kirtana of Hari. Any clinging to untruth is opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute submission to the truth.

Those who serve the truth at all times, by means of all their faculties, and have no hankering for the trivialities of this world, are always necessarily free from malice born of competing worldliness; and are therefore fit to admonish those who are actively engaged in harming themselves and others by the method of opposing or misrepresenting the truth in order to attain the rewards of such a policy in the shape of a perpetuation of the state of misery and ignorance. The method which is em-ployed by the servant of the good preceptor for preventing such misrepresentation of the truth is a part and parcel of the truth itself. It may not always be pleasing to the diseased susceptibilities of deluded minds, and may even be denounced by them as a malicious act with which they are only too familiar, but the words of truth from the lips of a loyal and humble servant of Hari possess such benefi-cent power that all effort to suppress or ob-struct them only serves to vindicate to impartial minds the necessity of complete submission to the absolute truth as the only cure of the disease of worldliness.

 

Humility that is employed in the unambiguous service of the truth is necessarily and qualitatively different from its perverted prototype, which is practiced by the cunning people of this world for gaining their worldly ends. The professors of pseudo-humility have reason to be afraid of the preachings of the servants of Hari (those whose duty it is to expose the enormous possibility of mischief possessed by the many forms of so- called spirituality), when they are taken to task for serving the untruth.

[krsna]

http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/ashrama/tour_fs.html

 

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[krsna]

Words From Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

1. We are put to test and trial in this world. Only those who attend the kirtana of the devotees can succeed.

 

2. Every spot on earth where discourses on God are held is a place of pilgrimage.

 

3. Possession of objects not related to Krsna is our main malady.

 

4. Let me not desire anything but the highest good for my worst enemies.

 

5. As dalliance with the body in luxury increases, so wanes the spirit of service of the Lord.

 

6. Those favored by God find their paths set by thorns.

 

7. There is no peace or happiness in our worldly life. Circumstances create turmoil and annoyance.

 

8. Chant the mahamantra loudly and with attachment. This will drive away inertia, worldly evils and pests.

 

9. Be indifferent to bazaar gossip, stick firmly to your cherished goals, no lack or impediments of the world will ever stand in your way.

 

10. Pay due respects to the extroverts of the world, but do not be appreciative of their manners and conduct. They are to be shaken off from your mind.

 

11. A devotee feels the presence of God everywhere, but one averse to the Lord denies His existence anywhere.

 

12. You cannot appreciate transcendental matters with the reasoning of the world. It is sheer nonsense to decry them with the measuring stick of your intellect.

 

13. To recite the name of Sri Krsna is bhakti.

 

14. Life is for the glorification of topics on Hari. If that is stopped, then what need is there to carry on life.

 

15. Physical illness with Hari-bhajana is preferred to physical fitness without Hari-bhajana.

 

16. Our span of life on earth is short. Our life will be crowned with success if the body wears out with constant discourses on Hari.

 

17. We are here on earth not to work as artisans for making big buildings with wood and stone but to work only as messengers for the teachings of Sri Caitanya Deva.

 

18. A sycophant is neither a guru or a preacher.

 

19. To transform the adverse desires of the jivas is the supreme duty of the most merciful. To rescue one person from the stronghold of Mahamaya is an act of superb benevolence, far superior to opening innumerable hospitals.

 

20. Unless we are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us.

 

21. Look within. Amend yourself, rather than pry into the frailities of others.

 

22. In this world of Maya, averse to the Lord, full of trials and tribulations, only patience, humility and respect for others are our friends for Hari-bhajana.

 

23. The Lord, Gaurasundara, puts His devotees in various difficulties and associations to test their patience and strength of mind. Success depends on their good fortune.

 

24. When faults in others misguide and delude you - have patience, introspect, find faults in yourself. Know that others cannot harm you unless you harm yourself.

 

25. I wish that every selfless, tender-hearted person of Gaudiya Math will be prepared to shed two hundred gallons of blood for the nourishmentof the spiritual corpus of every individual of this world.

 

[krsna]

 

10 Dec 76 , Hyderabad

 

 

 

 

Prabhupada: "...simple _expression of reverence and love. The disciple, Abhaya Charan Dasa, was to become His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of International Society, Krishna Consciousness." So whatever I appreciated forty years ago, the same principle is going on. We have no change. What I understood my spiritual master... Practically I met him in 1922, and this poetry was written in 1936. That means fourteen years before writing this poetry, I met my Guru Maharaja in 1922. At that time I was quite a young man, twenty-five years old only, and I was posted in a very responsible position and as the office manager of Dr. Bose's laboratory. And I was fond of in those days, of Gandhi's movement. In 1922 I joined Gandhi's movement, and I gave up my educational career because one of the Gandhi's program was to boycott the universities. That's a very long story. And many students gave up their educational career and joined this Gandhi's movement, and I was one of them.

 

So Dr. Bose, Kartik Chandra Bose, he's a very important man. At that time he was managing director of Bengal Chemical Company. Now there is a street in the central Calcutta, Dr. Kartik Bose Street. So he was very important man, and he was our family physician and my father's very intimate friend. So when I gave up my education and I was joining Gandhi's movement, at that time Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose asked me to join him. So with the permission of my father, I joined. So I was fond of, at that time, this Gandhi's noncooperation movement. And then, when I joined Dr. Bose's laboratory, of course, I was dressed in khadar. So Dr. Bose liked that dress, khadar dress. He told me one day that "Out of your whole Gandhi's movement, I like this khadar only." Dr. Bose said. And why? "No, because this will give impetus to industry. This hand spinning will gradually give impetus to India." Actually that happened. He was himself an industrialist. Actually in India the chemical industry was given birth by Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose. He was very important man. He started this Bengal Chemical.

 

So 1922 I met my Guru Maharaja through the exigency of my intimate friend, Mr. Narendranath Mullik. And I would not go. He told me information, "There is a nice sadhu. Let us go and see." I did not like very much these sadhus in those days, national spirit. So I said, "I have seen many sadhus. They come at my father's care. I was not very much pleased with their behavior." So he dragged me forcibly: "No, I have heard this person is very exalted." So I went. And his first opening version was that "You are educated young men. Why don't you preach Caitanya Mahaprabhu's gospel in the Western countries?" I did not know. So this was his blessing in the first meeting. I did not know, but because we belonged to a Vaisnava family we were very much worshiper of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, our family Deity. So I was very much pleased that "Here is a personality who is going to preach Caitanya Mahaprabhu's gospel." I was very much pleased.

 

So anyway, from 1922 to 1933 practically I was not initiated, but I got the impression of preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult. That I was thinking. And that was the initiation by my Guru Maharaja. Then officially I was initiated in 1933 because in 1923 I left Calcutta. I started my business at Allahabad. So I was always thinking of my Guru Maharaja, that "I met a very nice sadhu." Although I was doing business, I never forgot him. Then, in 1928, these Gaudiya Matha people came to Allahabad during Kumbhamela. As the Kumbhamela is going to be held this year, a similar big Kumbhamela was held in 1928. In those days they came to open their branch in Allahabad, and somebody recommended that "You go to..." At that time I was running on my big pharmacy and I was very well known man in Allahabad as the proprietor of the pharmacy. So somebody recommended them that "You go to Abhaya Babu. He is a very religious man. He'll help you." So when they entered my shop I was very much pleased that "These men I met in 1922, and now they have come." In this way I became reconnected. And in 1933 I was officially initiated, and my only qualification was when I was introduced to my Guru Maharaja for initiation, so Guru Maharaja immediately said, "Yes, I shall initiate this boy. He is very nice. He hears me very patiently. He does not go away." So that was my qualification. The high standard of philosophy which he was speaking at that time, practically I could not follow what was, he was speaking, but still, I liked to hear him. That was my hobby. Whenever... I was asking that "When Guru Maharaja will speak?" So he took it very seriously.

 

And then, in 1936-it's a long history-during this Vyasa-puja day, this Vyasa-puja day, whatever I studied about our relationship with my Guru Maharaja, I expressed in this poetry, and since that day my Godbrothers used to call me "poet." And Guru Maharaja also very much appreciated this poetry. Now somehow or other you have found it. (laughs) I thought the poetry is lost, but I do not know how it was found out by some of our disciples. I think it was found out in London museum or somewhere else by Guru dasa. They had a stock of Harmonist, and from the Harmonist, my Guru Maharaja's paper, this poetry was found. Otherwise I thought it was lost. So anyway, this poetry is "Adore, adore ye all the happy day, blessed than heaven, sweeter than May." So I heard that the month of May is very pleasing in the Western countries, so I compared the happiness of this day with the May Day. They call May Day?

 

Devotees: Yes.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. "When he appeared at Puri, the holy place, my lord and master, His Divine Grace." So Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared as the son of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his fourth son. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he was family man. He has several children, sons and daughters. So Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, known in his previous life as Bimala Prasada Datta, son of Kedaranath Datta... His father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his name was. He was magistrate and he was manager also, the managing board of Jagannatha Puri. The system is, the local magistrate becomes the official manager of the managing board of Jagannatha Puri. So at that time he was situated in Jagannatha Puri, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared at Puri. And the Ratha-yatra, the Ratha-yatra ceremony takes place, and sometimes the big ratha stops at interval. So the house in which Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared, in front of that house the ratha stopped. So his mother took the advantage and... Because Bhaktivinoda Thakura was magistrate, so the son, the little baby, was brought before the ratha, and the pujaris allowed him to bring the child before the Deity, and the child was placed before the Deity and a garland was offered by Jagannatha. So that was the first sign of his becoming the acarya. In this way there are many incidences.

 

So therefore his birthplace is mentioned, "the holy place, my lord and master, His Divine Grace.O my master, the evangelic angel, give us thy light, light up thy candle. Struggle for existence, a human race, the only hope, His Divine Grace." So actually we are in a very precarious condition, the modern civilization, I mean to say, manipulated by the Western people. It is a soul-killing civilization, this civilization. By nature the chance is given after many, many evolutionary process. Jalaja nava laksani sthavara laksa vimsati. The evolutionary theory is there in the Padma Purana. It is not Darwin's theory. Darwin stolen it from Padma Purana, and he presented in a distorted way of his own imagination. Otherwise the Darwin's theory is not the original. The theory... It is not theory-fact. Jiva-jatisu. It is wandering within the cycle of jiva-jati, different species of life. Tatha dehantara praptih [bg. 2.13]. This is Vedic knowledge, this evolutionary process. It is not Darwin's theory.

 

So by that process, lower animals and then the chronological order is there... First of all aquatics, jalajah. Jalajah means aquatic. Then sthavarah, trees, plants. Then flies, then birds, then beasts, then human being. In this way, bahu sambhavante, after many, many millions of years we get this opportunity of human life to realize God. And this civilization is denying, refusing the opportunity to the human society to understand God -- such a soul-killing civilization. It is a fact. They are denying "What is God? There is no God. Everything is science," although they cannot explain science. They cannot do anything, simply talking like nonsense. Last night some girls came, so they are students of botany. So I asked them, "Can you manufacture a seed which can give birth to a big banyan tree?No, sir, it is not possible." Then what kind of botany you are studying? Actually what is their science? They talk simply something which is going on in the middle portion. Where is the beginning and where is the end of knowledge, that they do not know. They are theorizing only in the middle. They do not know janmady asya yatah [sB 1.1.1], where is the beginning of this science. That is... Beginning is Krsna. Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavo [bg. 10.8]. He is the beginning. Bijo 'ham sarva-bhutanam [bg 7.10]. That seed, you scientist, you cannot manufacture. What chemicals are there that if you put in the earth and pour some water and it will grow a big tree? These scientists, they cannot explain what is the chemical composition is there. But there is. So that is in the hand of Krsna.

 

So this knowledge means to understand the original source. That is philosophy, find out the original source. That is knowledge. So the vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. Actually the knowledge terminates when you understand Krsna. He is the source of everything. So there is a "struggle for existence, a human race, the only hope, His Divine Grace." So we got this information from His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and that knowledge is still going on. You are receiving through his servant. And in future the same knowledge will go to your students. This is called parampara system. Evam parampara prap... It is not that you have become a student and you'll remain student. No. One day you shall become also guru and make more students, more students, more. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, not that perpetually... Yes, one should remain perpetually a student, but he has to act as guru. That is the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not that because I am acting as guru, I am no longer student. No, I am still student. Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us this instruction that we shall always remain a foolish student before our Guru Maharaja. That is the Vedic culture. I may be very big man, but still, I should remain a foolish student to my guru. That is the qualification. Guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana [Cc. Adi 7.71]. We should be always prepared to be controlled by the guru. That is very good qualification. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. Ara na kariha mane asa **. So we should become always a very obedient student to our guru. That is the qualification. That is the spiritual qualification.

 

So recently... I am very pleased to say that our Harikesa, I ordered him to go immediately to Poland, and he thought that he was being punished. That was... No. I was thinking that "Here is a very very intelligent boy. If he is given chance to preach he'll come out very successful." So I see the glimpses that he has got now post. He's a very good organizer. That's a chance. At that time he might have thought that I was separating him. No. My good will was there that he should be given chance for better opportunity. So I am very much happy that he is doing there very nice. So this should be the attitude. My Guru Maharaja wanted me to preach in the Western countries, although I was at that time a ordinary manager in a chemical firm. I never thought, but I took it seriously. So from that 1922, in 1965 it was fruitful. How many years?

 

Devotee: Forty-three.

 

Prabhupada: Forty-three years. So it is better late than never. Yes. So he desired me. I thought, "Now I am a family man. Let me adjust things." I would have accepted immediately, but I was not so intelligent at that time. I thought "My responsibility to family is there. Let me wait." But still, Guru Maharaja was so kind to me that when I was grhastha, I was seeing him in dreaming and I was... He asked me, "You come with me." So I was going, and after that, I was thinking, "Oh, I will have to take sannyasa and go with him?" So it appeared to me very horrible. I was not very much inclined to take sannyasa, but Guru Maharaja is so kind that he ultimately forced me to take sannyasa and do this work. So it is all his kindness. So this is the memory of his kindness.

 

So forty years ago I remember the same thing as it is in 1922, and still the same thing is going on. There is nothing new. We have nothing to do, new. Simply let us present as it is; it will be successful. There is no... You see. The spirit of my writing is the same. "Misled we are, all going astray." This soul-killing civilization is misleading us. We must know this, this very misleading civilization. Our real aim of life is to understand our spiritual identification and search out our relationship with God, Krsna. That is our real business. But this modern civilization is misleading us in different ways. So I wrote this, that "Misled we are, all going astray. Save us, lord, our fervent pray. Wonder thy ways to turn our face, adore they feet, Your Divine Grace." So this portion he very much appreciated.

 

So we have to find out ways how to turn the current. The current is sense enjoyment. Material life means the current is sense enjoyment, and this current has to be turned-sense enjoyment of Krsna. Sense enjoyment is there, but the material civilization, the misled civilization, is that the sense gratification is taken personal. When this sense gratification will be turned towards Krsna, then our life is successful. Just like gopis. Apparently it appears that gopis, they were attracted by young boy, Krsna, and for their sense gratification they made friendship with Krsna. No. That is not the fact. The fact is that gopis used to dress themselves nicely because by seeing them, Krsna will be satisfied, not that for their sense gratification. Generally a girl dresses also to attract the attention of the boy. So the same thing is there but it is Krsna's sense gratification, not the gopis'. The gopis did not want anything. But Krsna will be satisifed. That is the difference between lust and love. Love is there, only possible, when it is diverted towards Krsna. That is love. And beyond that... Not beyond that... Below that, everything is lust. So we should always remember this. The senses are not stopped, but when the gratification of the senses is directed towards Krsna, that is bhakti, or love. And when the sense gratification is directed towards personal self, that is lust. This is difference between lust and love.

 

So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura knew this art, how to turn our activities for the satisfaction of Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness movement. Therefore I... "Wonder thy ways to turn our face, adore they feet, Your Divine Grace. Forgotten Krsna, we fallen souls." Why we are fallen? Because we have forgotten. Our relationship with Krsna is eternal. Unless it was eternal, how you Western peoples could be devotee of Krsna? Artificially you cannot be a devotee of Krsna. The relationship is there eternally. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. By the process it is now awakened. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya. It is awakened. Love between young man and young woman, it is not artificial. It is there. But by certain circumstantially, environment, the love becomes manifest. Similarly, our love for Krsna, relationship with Krsna, is eternal. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. But we have to create such situation -- that eternal relation should be awakened. That is the art. That is wanted.

 

So "Forgotten Krsna, we fallen souls, pay most heavy the illusion's toll." Because we have forgotten Krsna we are paying heavy, heavy toll, tax, taxation. What is that taxation? The taxation is nivartante mrtyu-samsara-vartmani [bg. 9.3]. This human life is meant for understanding Krsna, but instead of understanding Krsna, we are understanding the so-called material science for sense gratification. This is our position. The energy which was given by nature to understand Krsna, that is being utilized how to manufacture something for sense gratification. This is going on. This is maya, illusion. Therefore it is, "Pay most heavy the illusion's toll." Toll tax. That we are paying because we have forgotten Krsna; therefore now we have manufactured the nuclear weapon -- Russia, America -- and you will have to pay heavily. They are already paying heavily. The armament preparation is going on. More than fifty percent of the income of the state are now being spent for this arm..., heavily. Instead of other purposes, it is being spent for military strength, every state. So that heavy toll we are paying. And when there is war there is no limit how much we are spending for this devastation. So why? Because we have forgotten Krsna. This is a fact.

 

So these people they have made the United Nation, unnecessarily fighting like dogs. So this will not solve the problems. The problem will be solved if they pass a resolution that the whole world, not only this world... Krsna says, sarvaloka mahesvaram. Krsna is the proprietor, so why not accept? Actually He is the proprietor. Who has created this planet? We have created or father created? No. Krsna has created, but we are claiming, "This portion is American, this portion is Indian, this portion is Pakistani." Unnecessary. What is the value of this claim? We may claim it for fifty or sixty or a hundred years, and after that, one kick: "Get out." Where is your claim? But they do not understand this philosophy. They are fighting. That's all, that "This is mine. This is my land. This is my land." They do not know. Krsna said tatha dehantara praptih [bg. 2.13]. "You are American today. So tomorrow, even within America if you become an American cow or American animal, nobody will care for you. Nobody will care for your politics." But this art they do not know. This science they do not know. They are under illusion. They are thinking that "I shall continue to remain American, so let waste my time for American interest," so-called interest. There cannot be any interest. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [bg. 3.27]. Everything is being done by nature, and we are simply falsely thinking, ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate. This illusion is going on. "Forgotten Krsna, we fallen souls, pay most heavy the illusion's toll." We are paying, paying. "Darkness around, all untrace. The only hope, Your Divine Grace." This message. Simply we are in darkness. So we shall discuss later on again. Now just... What is the time now? Hm?

 

Devotees: Quarter to nine.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. So we shall discuss again. So the same thing, it is chalked out by Krsna, and by parampara system we have understood this philosophy. Evam parampara praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [bg. 4.2]. So keep this parampara system. This Vyasa-puja is parampara system. Vyasa-puja means to accept this parampara system. Vyasa. Guru is the representative of Vyasadeva because he does not change anything. What Vyasa-puja... What Vyasadeva said, your guru will also say the same thing. Not that "So many hundreds of thousands of years have passed away. Therefore I will give you a new formula." No. There is no new formula. The same Vyasa-puja, the same philosophy. Simply we have to accept it. Then our life will be successful. Thank you very much.

 

Devotees: Jaya! (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976

[krsna]

NAM BHAJAN

 

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada

 

 

 

This is an article full of insights into learning how to reach the stage of ecstatic love for Krishna, Prema, through the chanting of His Holy Names, and the means to reach that level of spiritual enlightenment wherein the holy name can reveal itself as Krishna directly. However, this is not an introductory article, and the reader will need to be familiar with a few Sanskrit terms. But anyone who will tread deep into this advanced spiritual knowledge will come out with profound realizations and insights of what we should be striving to attain.

 

May it provide for your spiritual progress,

Sri Nandanandana dasa, (Stephen Knapp)

 

Part one

 

Prem [ecstatic love of God] alone is the purpose of the life of the jivas (spirit souls). Bhava (soul’s feeling) develops into Prem. Turning their face towards Krishna, the more jivas progress, the more do they approach the temple of Prem. Thus, in considering the rights of Prem, we meet at the out-set with two sorts of circumstances—one is an intense longing for the unattained Prem, the other is the stage when the pedestal of Prem is already reached. There is no higher stage beyond the latter one—an incessant Rasa [spiritual reciprocation] in an undivided unique tatva of that region. Devotees with utter craving for Prem who are still on the way to it, are again divided into two classes according to their love of seclusion or bustle—the one are called Viviktanandis [who prefer seclusion] who are close followers of approved usages, the other are known as Gosthyanandis [public disseminators] and are ever happy in preaching. Deep meditation on Godhead is the discipline of Premi-bhaktas [devotees who are focused on Prem] and glorifying or singing the Name of Krishna is their preaching.

 

In the state when there is an intense longing for the unattained Prem, the Premi-bhaktas are exclusively devoted to Krishna—utter self-surrender marks them out. The Srimad-Bhagavata and the Gita have very highly eulogized such refuges. If a devotee does not take absolute shelter under the cool shade of the gracious feet of Krishna, why speak of Prem? He remains quite in the dark even about Bhava. A self-surrendering devotee should accept things that are only favorable to Prem-bhakti [the path of devotional service to Lord Krishna that leads to Prem], and should deny everything, whatever it be, that is antagonistic or unfavorable to it. Such a devotee’s only belief is that Krishna is the only protector, that nothing else or none else but Krishna can save or protect him. He has not the least doubt about the fact that Krishna alone protects all. Devotees firmly and sincerely believe themselves to be very humble and insignificant. The faith of an earnest and exclusive devotee is that he himself can do nothing, and that not even a straw moves without the will of Krishna.

Extremely self-surrendering devotees prefer most exclusively embracing Sri Nama [the holy name of Lord Krishna] to every other feature of devotion. They have more intense appetite for singing and meditating upon Sri Nama than to anything else. Of all the means of Bhajan, the Name of Bhagavan is most purely spiritual. In describing the Absolute Deities, the Sri-Hari-bhaktivilas has spoken of the glories of singing and contemplating on NAMA as the best—it has been given the foremost place. The shastras [Vedic scriptures] declare that there is not the least difference between Krishna and Krishna-NAMA because the real nature of NAMA is spiritual—NAMA manifests Himself as the “Chaitanya-Rasa-Vigraha” [the form of superconscious reciprocation] of Krishna.

 

Try they must to realize their own Chit-swarupa [eternal spiritual form] who desire to realize the form of Krishna and the form of NAMA [Krishna’s holy names]. The practiser of bhakti [devotional service] can never be dexterous in his God-adoration so long as he does not realize spiritual truth. So, how can he attain his object of pursuit? The attainment of an absolute conception of spiritual truths causes amelioration of Bhajan. Here we shall say something on this subject.

 

Many a time we have told before (in Chaitanya-Sikshamrita) with quotations from the shastras that every jiva is a spirit in molecule, the residence of Krishna is a spiritual Kingdom, Krishna is the spiritual sun, the devotion to Krishna is a spiritual inclination, and Krishna-NAMA is “Chit-Rasa-Vigraha”. Now we venture to show the relation between spirit and devotees who are extremely anxious for Prem, and then shall show the means to the attainment of the highest bliss of the soul. If we have spiritual merit earned in previous births, transcendental felicity will be enkindled in our heart. We have no appetite (Ruchi) for the knowledge of Brahman which is restricted to realization of mere Chit [spiritual knowledge] only; for spiritual sportive pastimes have no place in it.

 

The Savior of the Iron Age [age of Kali-yuga], Sri Krishna Chaitanya, declares the Vedas to be the only judge and shows the nine Prameyas [processes of devotional service] from it. There is a broad discussion on it in the Srimad Bhagavata. The Vedas have proved jivas to be spiritual atomic parts of the Deity. Jivas are like rays from the Sun, Krishna: so the spiritual form of jivas must be identified with the spiritual form of Godhead. But the difference lies in the fact that Krishna may be compared with the full Sun, while the jivas are His innumerable rays. Krishna is the Lord of Lords—jivas are His eternal servants. There is no denying the fact that the residential home of Krishna is in Parabyom or Goloka, which is all spiritual. Vaikuntha, Chit-jagat, etc., all refer to the spiritual region. The Bajashaneya Upanishad speaks of the form of Krishna to be purely spiritual; the Svetashvatara Upanishad describes the eternal powers of Krishna, who is superior to the best and higher than the highest; the Mundaka Upanishad shows bhakti to be Chit Rasa; and coming to conceive Krishna to be the life of lives, the wise, after discarding all garrulity, dry wisdom and vain arguments, dive deep to see the bottom of their soul—they, after realizing the Deity by dint of pure intuition, run after devotion. He who does this is a Brahmin; he who leaves this world without knowing Him is, so to say, a parsimonious fellow. But the fortunate who departs from this earth after realizing Him is alone a Brahmin, i.e., a Vaishnava-devotee of Krishna. Such has been shown to be the nature of bhakti or devotion: O Ye Maitreya! The soul alone is to be seen, heard, reflected and meditated upon, and realized by spiritual organs. All is then beyond any doubt known to us. That Soul (Krishna) is dearer than the son, dearer than wealth, for He is omniscient. Things that are sense-pleasing are never worth endearment; from the pleasure of the Great Soul all joy proceeds. Thus the eternal relation of eternal felicity between Krishna and jiva is Prem.

 

What exact connection does there exist between this manifested and visible mundane world and the spiritual Sphere? In going to search after spiritual truths, more often than not we are deluded; after deep contemplation and discrimination we conclude Spirit to be something opposite of matter; pressing our worldly reasoning too far, we leave Chit-Rasa to the back-ground and are satisfied with an imaginative, inarticulate and incomplete conception of spiritual Brahman. This is only an imagination of Chit-swarupa of Brahman. In such a stage, Brahman is immutable, incorporeal, invisible or formless, without attributes and dry of Prem. This uncommon perception is like the “Sky-flower”! And being unable to know the name, form, attributes and pastimes of diversions of the Chit-Swarupa only, we turn to be inactive. Hence it is that all portents of jivas come to pass due to this dry wisdom. This is well illustrated in the conversation between Vyasa and Narada.

 

It is clear from the above that you never can know the spiritual sportive pastimes of Para-Brahman if you be dazzled by mere Chit-swarupa of Brahman, which is only a semblance of the eternal light of Chit. Brother! Look forward!! Enter into the kingdom of Godhead after dashing through the brilliance of Chit pure and simple—there you will be able to realize the spiritual pastimes of Godhead, then you will be able to taste the ambrosia of an incessant Brahma-Rasa [spiritual reciprocations]. No longer will your soul remain wooden-like. The name, form, attributes and Lila [pastimes] of the Supreme Being are manifested not by any earthly light but by a spiritual flame. The sun, the moon, stars, lighting and fire of this earth are quite unfit to give light to the other spiritual horizon. This spiritual light which is far beyond worldly lights brightens that Region. A perverted reflection of that light do we think as supplying us with light; but in fact it does not. While describing Brahmapur (the region of Brahman), the Chandogya Upanishad gives us a comprehensive knowledge of it. The spiritual kingdom as displayed by the spiritual light is an ideal to this base earth. There is not the least tinge of baseness; while on the contrary, only an all-pervading daintiness is its sweet affair. The fourteen mundane worlds are only a perverted reflection of that sphere; the gross sun is a reflection of that light and its subtle reflection is seen in the mundane rays of dry wisdom arising from mind, conscience and consciousness. Our gross senses believe the gross sun to be a flash of luster, and we are proud of the earthly knowledge which is gained by dint of the eight processes of Yoga that are actions of the subtle intellect, conscience and ego. All these are seemingly natural workings of engrossed jivas. Listening to the advice of Narada, while Dwaipayan Rishi [srila Vyasadeva] was fully absorbed in the single and natural deep meditation of the soul, he fully and clearly saw the name, form, attributes and pastimes of the Supreme Person, and also could know Maya, the shadow of Parashakti, to be shelterless to the Absolute Truth—could understand anartha [unwanted things and habits] of jivas, the atomic chiitatvas, who are engrossed, fascinated and enslaved by Maya. And further coming to realize that such Jivas can come to perceive their own personal forms if absorbed in a profoundly meditative bhakti-yoga, he compiled the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes the spiritual pastimes of Bhagavan. The forgetfulness of his own eternal form and the Form of Krishna is the foremost anartha of a jiva, whence arises his aversion to Krishna and as a result of which he is revolved by the wheel of Maya on the path of Karma. Thus the world is full of weal and woes. When jivas take shelter under Bhakti, after discarding the basely-turned endeavors of the mundane wise reasonings of the eight processes of Yoga of the Karma-margis (followers of Karma or fruitive acts) and of the arguments of the Sankhya school of Jnana margis (seekers of dry wisdom) which vainly try to refute things that are not God or His concerns, then alone the pure rays of spiritual intuition are enkindled in them by being naturally absorbed in Divine contemplation; the worldly pleasures then prick them like pinching thorns, and Krishna-prem is awakened in the heart. By these means only, they can be blessed by the grace of Krishna—the Spiritual Sun. No second help is there but this Divine grace to wash off all scrapes of the mind and to progress forward towards the ever-shiny land of Krishna.

 

A sincere faith in pure devotion is the root cause of this non-labored restraint on the senses together with the mind, and confine the soul in a deep contemplation on Godhead. When the happy moment came, Dwaipayan Rishi [srila Vyasadeva] became doubtful about the rules and methods of Karma-kanda and vain Jnana-kanda and in reply to the question of his spiritual preceptor, Sri Narada Goswami, he said, “O Lord! No doubt I have realized all truths, advised by Thee, still my soul, I know not why it finds no contentment! O Thou Son of Brahma, be kind to tell me the unimaginable and indescribable secret that lurks behind it. I beg this of Thee being greatly troubled at heart.”

 

The Narada Goswami replied, “O Vyas! You have not striven to give a vivid picture of the pure Spiritual Pastimes of Bhagavan, as you have given a full description in other Puranas, Vedanta-Sutras and Mahabharata of the four main objects of human pursuit, viz., virtue [dharma], wealth [artha], enjoyment [kama] and salvation [moksha]. Thus you enjoy no contentment due to this your short-coming. Thus you have committed a great and heavy omission by giving too high a eulogy of castes and stages to be the soul’s religion of jivas. If anyone, leaving aside such a conventional religion of the self, engages himself in the service of Hari, and if he slips before reaching the goal, can it for this reason be a calamity to him? If, on the contrary, he strictly sticks to that conventional religion being utterly unmindful of HARI BHAJAN, what better exalted goal does it afford?” It is clear from the above that no second help is there by HARI BHAJAN. Jivas can attain their highest goal if they embrace NAMA as a means to Hari.

 

Vyasadeva then following up this Bhakti-yoga absorbed himself in an easy meditation of Godhead. “Easy” is used here to show that devotion to Krishna is most innate in the jivatmas. As it is an inherent and eternal religion of the jivas, it is called the “easy” universal religion of every jiva. Its workings develop in the following manner:

 

When the jivas come to realize that the path of Karma does not give them eternal good, whether it be the eighteen inferior Karma-Yagnas or the eight subtle processes of Yagna neither can ever lead them to the highest goal—the servitude to Krishna—which is their souls’ religion, or again when they are fully convinced that there is not the least chance to attain perpetual felicity by mundane wisdom or limited knowledge that aims at the Spiritual Kingdom—both gained by endeavor of the subtle frame of mind, ego, etc.—finding no shore to catch, they thus, by the grace of Sadhus and Guru or spiritual preceptor, cry out to Krishna from the deepest recesses of their heart, “O Thou Krishna! O Ye restorer of the fallen! Thine eternal servant though I am, I am cast into the deep abyss of the world and am badly dashed from shore to shore by its frowning waves of troubles and tribulations. Take me up, O my Lord! To the shade of the cool dust of Thy lotus fee! O have mercy on this wretched self!” Then the All-merciful Lord lovingly taketh all jivas up to His feet.

 

When with sincere thrill of joy and tears trickling down the cheeks, they constantly chant, hear and remember the Name of Krishna, they gradually reach the stage of Bhava. Appearing in the heart, Krishna erases their sports out and out from their mind, and thus cleansing their heart graciously blesseth them with His own Prem. Extreme humbleness and utter devotion are necessary to call Krishna to the heart. Then, when earthly knowledge, reasonings and strivings are completely burnt to ashes, the soul’s eyes can perceive Bhagavan and His associated counterparts. If by discarding the company of Asat or dishonest fellows (Asat literally means “non-existence”; hence those who are unusually attached to the fair-sex and those who are non-devotees of Krishna both are called Asat, for things other than Krishna are transitory), one embraces the company of the good or Sat (opposite of Asat), he ere long gains a firm reliance and then through the stages of Nistha, etc., reaches the ladder of Bhava. Those whose hearts are crooked will beyond any doubt, run downstairs to Hell.

The fortunate ones who really long to ascend the terrace of Prem, do sincerely and incessantly chant the Name of Krishna in the company of sadhus. They do not have any appetite for any other feature of devotion. When in a short time by the grace of NAMA the heart becomes closely attentive, the fruits of religious forbearance, control over sensual appetites, religious austerity, abstract religious contemplation, steady abstraction of the mind and indifference to external impressions are very easily gained without paying the least heed to all these. NAMA alone is complete suspension of the fleeting mental operations. The more the heart is pellucid, the more diverse pastimes of the Spiritual Kingdom play in it. The flow of the milk of this felicity is so very fast running that no other means can give even the smallest drop of it. Jivas have no other wished-for wealth than the grace of Krishna.

 

NAMA is Spiritual, wisdom, vows, meditation, abnegation, mental quietness, virtue, contrivance—none of these can ever equal NAMA. Know it for certain that NAMA is the highest salvation, NAMA is the highest end, NAMA is the noblest final beatitude, NAMA is eternally existing. NAMA alone is the supremist devotion, NAMA is the highest intellect, NAMA is the best Priti and NAMA alone is the brightest remembrance. NAMA is the seed and NAMA is the fruit to jivas—NAMA is their Lord and NAMA alone is the supremist object of their worship. NAMA is their best Preceptor.

 

The Vedas have described the spirituality of the Name of Krishna to be the highest truth. “O Lord! Reasonably judged we have Thy Name to be higher then the highest and so do we chant Thy Name. NAMA-BHAJAN is not bound by any rule—NAMA is beyond all virtuous acts—He is Spiritual—He is virility and luster in a person. All the Vedas have been manifested from this NAMA. NAMA is bliss, NAMA is Ananda. We can excellently be devoted to Him. NAMA is worship and NAMA is to be worshipped. Thy Feet are to be held in veneration. Repeatedly we fall prostrate at Thy lotus-feet and anoint the body with pollen thereof. In order to lead the soul to its highest stage, devotees mutually discuss on NAMA and sing His glories. They believe Thy Name to be Chaitanya in person, and always sing and hear Kirtan which is identical with Thy NAMA (name)—they are purified by it. NAMA alone is Sat or ever-existing. The essence of the Vedas is NAMA, the Absolute Truth, Whose Form is Sat-Chidananda (Sat—ever-existing, Chit—all-knowing, and Ananda—all-bliss). O Vishnu! It is only by the grace of Thy Name that we are capable of offering hymns to Thee. So we should adore and pray to Thy NAMA alone.” In His own “Eight Glorious Precepts”, Sriman Mahaprabhu [Lord Chaitanya] has spoken of the glories of NAMA. He has also given a glimpse of the gradual steps of NAMA-BHAJAN in those eight precepts. His “Consider thyself humbler than the grass” sloka hints at how to adore NAMA after avoiding the ten profanations [offenses]. His “woman or money I want not” sloka speaks of the selflessness of NAMA-BHAJAN in a devotional spirit—devotion unactuated by any lustful motive. The “O Thou Son of Nanda” sloka tells us how to make a plaintive report to the Lord; the last two slokas describe the processes of Vraja-bhajan where one loves Krishna to serve Him either in Sambhoga (union) or in Vipralamba Rasa (deeper union in separation) or in both after being completely and spontaneously attached to Srimati (Radha). The shastras have eulogized so highly and so often the glories of NAMA that their name is legion—to describe them is to write a big volume like the Sri Hari Bhakti Vilas. So we have hardly any more space in this small volume to discuss them at length. Thus here putting a stop to the glories of NAMA, we attempt a very short survey of the processes of NAMA-BHAJAN.

Devotees who are desirous of ascending the terrace of Prem should remember a few points even before entering the field of NAMA-BHAJAN. Firstly, they should know for certain that the form of Krishna, the form of Krishna’s Name, the form of service to Krishna and the form of Krishna’s servants are eternally free—are eternally spiritual! Krishna, His abode and paraphernalia, are all spiritual and beyond the grasp of Maya, the illusory energy. No mundane consideration exists in Seva or service. The seat, room, garden, forest, the Jamuna [river] and every other thing of Krishna are spiritual and hence untouchable by matter. They are further aware of the fact that this, their belief, is not a blind worldly faith—it is absolutely true and eternal. The exact forms of all these do not in truth manifest on this earth. Such ideas may perpetually reign in the pure heart of pure devotees. Here, the fruit of all these spiritual practices is self-realization. Those who have realized the form of Krishna as well as of their own self, do ere long attain Vastu Siddhi (enter the eternal pastimes of Krishna in the Spiritual Kingdom and gain personal service of Krishna). Here in this world, devotees can only get a glimpse of those immaterial things. The first stage to it is freedom from the bondage of Maya—the climax of Prem.

 

 

[krsna]

 

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[krsna]

 

MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER

 

 

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad

 

 

Shri Krishna Chaitanyadeva is the Supreme Teacher of all teachers of this world and the ideal possessor of intelligence that is the highest of all. It should be our only duty to constantly chant those words regarding the cleansing of the mirror of the heart of which He speaks in His Eight Precepts (Shikshastakam). We are only the bearers of the Transcendental World. We shall never in any way hesitate to offer every honour and facility, for which they are eligible, to all persons of this world. We must pray to all for the boon of aptitude for the service of Krishna. We shall come across many persons in this world, possessing an endless variety of characters, disposed or hostile to the service of Krishna. But we should not slacken in our loving service of the Lord of our hearts and should offer due honour to all persons.

 

We will have opportunities, as we approach different persons in all parts of the world with the vendor's bag of the discourse of Hari, to see a good many sights, to hear much, and to seek to derive much benefit from our experience. May we never forget that all entities of this world are essentially protégés of the Lotus-feet of Shri Guru for helping the expansion of His service. May we always remember that all excellences must only be prepared to wait with the utmost eagerness on the particle of dust of the Lotus-feet of my Shri Guru; otherwise they are merely the mirage devised by the deluding potency for our ruin. I wish to remind those friends of mine who are proceeding to the West for preaching the words of Shri Chaitanya, the two precepts of my Master Shri Rupa:

 

(1) “The constant endeavour for cultivating relationship with Krishna of a person who, being free from all mundane affinity, enjoys the entities of this world, having due regard to the propriety of each case, in pursuance of his purpose, is called the proper kind of renunciation.”

 

(2) “The abnegation, by persons desirous of liberation, of entities that have an affinity with Hari in considering their mundane nature, is termed renunciation possessing little real value.”

 

 

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

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